Huskers Open Spring at Stanford

The Nebraska women’s golf team tees off on its 2016 spring campaign by traveling to Stanford, Calif., for the Peg Barnard Invitational, Saturday and Sunday.

Nebraska will be the lone Big Ten representative in a strong 13-team field that includes eight teams ranked among the top 60 nationally in the GolfStat rankings. No. 6 Stanford leads the field, while fellow Pac-12 schools No. 14 Washington and No. 20 California join them in the top 20. No. 37 Colorado and the defending tournament champions from No. 40 Oregon put five Pac-12 teams in the field. Since 1998, only one non-Pac-12 team has won the tournament (Denver, 2003).

The Huskers will play single rounds on Saturday and Sunday with tee times beginning at 10 a.m. (CT). Live scoring will be available at BirdieFire.com.

2016 Peg Barnard Invitational
Location/Host: Stanford, Calif./Stanford

Course: Stanford Golf Course

Par/Yardage: 71/6,084 yards

Two Rounds/36 Holes (Tee Times/Central)
Saturday, Feb. 13 - 10 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 14 - 10 a.m.

Live Scoring: BirdieFire.com

Participating Teams (13)

• California (20)
• Colorado (37)
• Denver (59)
• Fresno State (77)
• Nebraska (104)
• Nevada (87)
• Oregon (40)
• San Jose State (51)
• New Mexico
• Stanford (6)
• UC Davis (47)
• Washington (14)

Nebraska Lineup
1. Morgan Smejkal
2. Haley Thiele
3. Cassie Deeg
4. Audrey Judd
5. Cassidy Stelzmiller

Huskers Look for Growth during Competitive Spring
A three-player senior class that includes recent University of Nebraska graduates Morgan Smejkal and Cassidy Stelzmiller leads the Huskers into the 2016 spring season at the Peg Barnard Invitational this weekend.

Smejkal, a fifth-year senior from Columbus, Neb., matched freshman Haley Thiele (Wahoo, Neb.) in producing the Huskers’ top stroke average of the fall campaign. Smejkal’s 74.53 stroke average helped her to three top-20 finishes in five fall events. Thiele added a 74.53 stroke average and three top-20 finishes of her own. Thiele closed the fall with Nebraska freshman records of 209 (tournament) and 67 (first round) at the UNLV Collegiate Showdown, Oct. 25-27.

Senior Cassie Deeg, who owns one of the top career stroke averages in school history, joins sophomore Audrey Judd in rounding out the five Huskers headed to Stanford. Deeg notched a 74.67 stroke average during the fall, while Judd added a solid 76.73 average for the Huskers.

Smejkal Shining as Senior
Morgan Smejkal is producing the best season of her five-year career so far for the Big Red. The senior from Columbus, Neb., carries a 74.53 stroke average through 15 rounds, which is a 2.51 strokes per round improvement over her 77.04 average a year ago.

Smejkal owns a trio of top-20 finishes, including a career-best tie for 12th (220) at the Chip-N Club Invitational, Oct. 5-6.

Smejkal’s effort at the Chip-N Club followed a tie for 14th with a then-career-best 222 at the GolfWeek Conference Challenge, Sept. 21-23.

She improved her career-best tournament score at her third straight event with a 218 to tie for 20th at the Pinehurst Challenge, Oct. 12-13.

Smejkal has played major roles in the Nebraska lineup each of the past three seasons but has competed just once at the Big Ten Championships.

In 2014, Smejkal was NU’s No. 4 finisher at the Big Ten Championships, but entered the second round of the tournament in the top 10.

Smejkal, who has cut more than seven strokes per round off her stroke average (81.56, 25 rounds) from her redshirt freshman season in 2012-13, will look to close out her career with her best season.

Like fellow seniors Cassie Deeg and Cassidy Stelzmiller, Smejkal’s leadership on and off the course has been a constant for the Big Red. A three-time academic All-Big Ten choice, Smejkal is also the only student-athlete in program history to earn the Beatrice Dierks Rohman Scholarship on two occasions. Smejkal claimed a prestigious Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award in 2014. She is also a two-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team. She earned her bachelor’s degree as a marketing and management major at Nebraska in December of 2015.

Deeg Earning Place in NU History
Cassie Deeg, who is Nebraska’s top returning golfer from a year ago, owns the second-best career stroke average (76.38) in school history, trailing only 2003 All-American Sarah Sasse (75.92).

A three-year starter on the course, Deeg also has been a standout in the classroom and the community. A two-time academic All-Big Ten selection, Deeg was the Huskers’ 2015 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner. She also claimed a prestigious Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award in 2015, while earning her second straight appearance on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Stelzmiller Strong on, Off Course
Cassidy Stelzmiller, a fifth-year senior from Placerville, Calif., has joined Cassie Deeg in Nebraska’s lineup at each of the last three Big Ten Championships. In fact, Stelzmiller’s tie for 18th at the 2014 Big Ten Championships, is the highest finish at the conference tournament by any current Husker.

Last season, Stelzmiller finished with a career-best 76.76 stroke average, which was more than a three-stroke per round improvement from her sophomore season and nearly five strokes better than her redshirt freshman campaign.

A two-time WGCA Scholastic All-American and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Stelzmiller earned her bachelor’s degree as an accounting major at Nebraska in December 2015.

Sophomore Steps Up
Sophomore Audrey Judd is building off a solid freshman season to become a fixture in Nebraska’s top five in 2015-16. Judd, who battled a foot injury in the middle of the season, produced a 78.07 stroke average on the year and tied for 70th at the 2015 Big Ten Championships.

During the fall, Judd competed in all 15 rounds in the Husker lineup, producing a 76.73 stroke average. She tied for 17th with a career-best 226 at Nebraska’s Chip-N Club Invitational, Oct. 5-6.

Thiele Contributing in Big Way
Nebraska’s six returning golfers are joined by one of the top recruits in school history with the addition of Haley Thiele.

Thiele made an immediate impact during the fall, matching fifth-year senior Morgan Smejkal with a team-best 74.53 stroke average. Thiele enters the spring well ahead of Nebraska freshman record pace (76.94, Kate White, 2006-07), following a freshman record 209 at the UNLV Collegiate Showdown, Oct. 25-27. Her performance in Las Vegas included a Nebraska-freshman record 67 in the opening round, which tied for the second-best round ever by a Husker golfer.

The freshman from Wahoo, Neb., capped a tremendous junior career by winning the 2015 Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship in August.

Thiele led the tournament from start to finish after firing an opening-round 67. She finished with a four-round total of 287 to claim her third consecutive top-15 finish at the Trusted Choice Big “I”, including a fourth-place showing in 2014. She is just the second Husker in history to win the Big “I”, joining current professional Maddie Shiels. Thiele is also the first Husker in history to post three top-15 finishes at the event.

The Big “I” was the final piece to a big finish to the summer of 2015 for Thiele, who also tied for third a week earlier at the Optimist International Junior Championship, just a few weeks after tying for fifth at the North & South Junior Amateur.

“I’ve followed Haley’s progress for a lot of years, and I knew very early she had what it took to be a high level Division I player,” Krapfl said. “The hardest part was waiting so long before she could join our team. Haley is everything we look for in a student-athlete. She’s a great student with outstanding golf skills. She’s also a team player with an incredible work ethic, and she has a passion for the game. I think she has the potential to be the best we’ve ever had play for the Huskers.”

Thiele’s talent was not limited to the junior circuit. The two-time Nebraska Girls Amateur of the Year also produced three top-15 finishes at the Nebraska Class C Boys High School State Tournament. As a senior, her fourth-place finish was the best ever by a girl at a boys state golf tournament. She also led her Bishop Neumann team to a runner-up finish.

Off the course, she was also one of the best basketball players in the state of Nebraska. The two-time All-Nebraska selection was a two-time Class C-1 all-state selection at guard. She was also a starter on the Bishop Neumann volleyball team.

Big Red Face Solid Schedule
The Huskers faced a challenging fall schedule that opened with the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational, in Manhattan, Kan., Sept. 7-8. It marked the first time since 2006-07 that the Big Red opened the season on the road. The Huskers played their only other tournament in September with a return to the GolfWeek Conference Challenge in Wolcott, Colo., Sept. 21-23.

Nebraska made its only home appearance of the year at the 2015 Chip-N Club Invitational at the Country Club of Lincoln, Oct. 5-6.

The Huskers headed to North Carolina for the Pinehurst Challenge, Oct. 12-13, before wrapping up their fall schedule at the UNLV Collegiate Showdown, Oct. 25-27.

The spring schedule tees off with the Peg Barnard Stanford Invitational, Feb. 13-14, 2016. The Huskers then return to the Westbrook Invitational in Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 21-22. It marks the fifth consecutive year that the Huskers have competed at Westbrook.

The Big Red return to Arizona less than three weeks later to compete in the Clover Cup in Mesa, March 11-13. It will mark the fourth straight season that the Huskers’ have competed in Notre Dame’s annual event in Arizona.

The highlight of Nebraska’s regular-season spring schedule includes a trip to Honolulu for the Dr. Donnis Thompson Hawaii Invitational, March 22-23. The Huskers, who will be traveling to Hawaii for a regular-season tournament for the second consecutive season, will enjoy Spring Break on the islands.

Nebraska closes the regular season with a journey to Napa, Calif., for the Silverado Showdown, April 3-5. After making five trips west to fill their spring schedule, the Huskers will make their first trip east to compete in the 2016 Big Ten Championships at The Fort Golf Resort in Indianapolis, April 22-24. It will be the second straight season for the Big Ten Tournament at The Fort.

Nebraska hopes to contend for its 12th NCAA Regional bid since 1994. NCAA Regional competitions will be held in Palo Alto, Calif. (Stanford), Bryan-College Station, Texas (Texas A&M), Baton Rouge, La. (LSU) and Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Alabama) May 5-7, before the NCAA Championships are held in Eugene, Ore., May 20-25.

Huskers Set Pace in Classroom
Nebraska leads the nation with 67 WGCA Scholastic All-Americans since 1989.
Cassidy Stelzmiller earned the second WGCA Scholastic All-America award of her career in 2015. She also claimed the honor in 2013. Stelzmiller, who was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2013 and 2015, joined Emily Gillman in capturing the WGCA Scholastic honor. It was the first award of the freshman Gillman’s collegiate career.

Stelzmiller joined Cassie Deeg, Morgan Smejkal, Jordan Chael and Sarah Pravecek in earning academic All-Big Ten honors in 2015. Overall, Nebraska owns one of the richest academic traditions in all of collegiate sports with a nation-leading 320 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans across all teams and all sports. NU also leads the nation with 17 NCAA Top Ten Award winners.