Huskers Host Chip-N Club Invitational

The Nebraska women’s golf team plays host to the annual Chip-N Club Invitational at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course in Lincoln, Sept. 25-27.

The three-day event opens with 18 holes Sunday, Sept. 25, with tee times off No. 1 and No. 10 beginning at 8:30 a.m. (CT). The tournament continues on Monday with tee times starting at 9 a.m., before the 54-hole event concludes with a shotgun start on Tuesday at 8:45 a.m.

The 11 teams will compete in a five-count-four scoring format on the par-72, 6,276-yard layout of Wilderness Ridge. In addition, 10 golfers will compete as individuals in the 65-player field.

Admission to the tournament is free all three days at Wilderness Ridge, which is located at 1800 Wilderness Woods Place in Lincoln. Live scoring for the event will be available from BirdieFire.com.

The Huskers will be competing in their third tournament in 14 days. The Big Red opened at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sept. 12-13), before competing at the East & West Match Play Challenge in Ann Arbor, Mich., earlier this week (Sept. 18-20).

2016 Chip-N Club Invitational
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Course: Wilderness Ridge Golf Course
Par/Yardage: 72/6,276
Start (Tee Times): Sunday, Sept. 25 - 8:30 a.m. (CT)
Tee Times: Monday, Sept. 26 - 9 a.m. (CT)
Shotgun: Tuesday, Sept. 27 - 8:45 a.m. (CT)

Participating Teams (11)

• Creighton
• Florida International
• Iowa Western
• Kansas State
• Nebraska
• North Dakota State
• Omaha
• South Dakota
• South Dakota State
• UMKC
• Wyoming

Nebraska Lineup
1. Kate Smith
2. Annie Sritragul
3. Sarah Pravecek
4. Emily Gillman
5. Audrey Judd
IND-Claire Robertson
IND-Jessica Haraden

Freshmen Smith, Sritragul Post Top-10 Finishes in Michigan
Nebraska’s freshmen continued to shine in the Huskers’ second tournament of the season at the East & West Match Play Challenge, Sept. 18-20, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Kate Smith (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) carded rounds of 76 and 70 to finish at 146 in a tie for eighth through two rounds of stroke play. For Smith, it was her second straight top-15 tournament finish to open her collegiate career after tying for 15th at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic (Sept. 12-13).

Not to be outdone, fellow Husker freshman Annie Sritragul (Bangkok, Thailand) tied Smith in eighth at the East & West matches with 146. Sritragul produced rounds of 72 and 74 on Sunday in Michigan.

As a team, Nebraska notched its best round of the young season with a second-round 294 in Michigan. The Huskers tied Penn State for sixth in the eight team field during the stroke play portion of the event.

Freshmen to Play Major Roles for Young Huskers in 2016-17
Nebraska will put one of its youngest lineups in school history on the course for the 2016-17 season. The Huskers replaced 2015-16 seniors Cassie Deeg, Morgan Smejkal and Cassidy Stelzmiller with three true freshmen when they opened the season at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic.

Not only must the Huskers replace three seniors, including fifth-year seniors Smejkal and Stelzmiller, they must also compensate for the loss of Haley Thiele. The sophomore from Wahoo, Neb., produced the best freshman stroke average (75.63) in school history in 2015-16 and was Nebraska’s No. 2 finisher at the Big Ten Championships. Thiele is expected to redshirt in 2016-17 while recovering from a wrist injury.

With four open spots in the lineup and just one senior - Sarah Pravecek - on the roster, the four members of Nebraska’s freshman class will get chances to prove themselves in the lineup early in their careers.

Kate Smith did exactly that in pre-tournament qualifying for the opener at Colorado State, claiming the No. 1 position in NU’s lineup. Freshman Annie Sritragul, Nebraska’s first golfer from Thailand, captured the No. 3 spot, while Claire Robertson (Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland) earned the No. 4 position in qualifying.

Smith and Sritragul will play out of the top two spots at the Chip-N Club Invitational, while Robertson and Haraden will compete as individuals.

Thiele Expected to Redshirt
Sophomore Haley Thiele is expected to redshirt during the 2016-17 women’s golf season while recovering from a wrist injury that kept her out of action throughout the summer of 2016.

Thiele produced arguably the best freshman season in Nebraska history in 2015-16, notching a freshman school-record 75.63 stroke average. She also closed her rookie year as NU’s No. 2 finisher at the Big Ten Championships in 39th place. During the season, Thiele tied the Husker freshman record with a five-under-par 67 at the UNLV Collegiate Showdown while matching first-team All-American Sarah Sasse’s overall school record with a three-round tournament score of 209.

“Haley showed her outstanding potential last year, but we all feel like she has a lot of great golf ahead of her,” Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. “Her injury kept her off the course the entire summer, and she has a good plan in place for a complete recovery. We know it is the best thing for her future as a golfer and for our program, but we will certainly miss her on the course with us this season.”

Praveck Provides Senior Presence
Sarah Pravecek is the lone senior on Nebraska’s 2016-17 roster. The fourth-year golfer from Omaha competed for the Big Red at each of the last two Big Ten Championships. She produced a 77.83 stroke average over 24 rounds as a junior.

Pravecek has played 57 career rounds for the Huskers and is looking to become a fixture in the lineup in her final season in Lincoln.

Off the course, Pravecek is a two-time academic All-Big Ten selection and was a member of the 2016 Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for her commitment to Nebraska’s community outreach and leadership efforts.

“We are looking forward to Sarah having her best season as a Husker,” Krapfl said. “We will need her to be a leader for us on and off the course since we have such a young team.”

Junior Class Could be Key to Huskers’ 2016-17 Success
Audrey Judd and Emily Gillman will play major roles for the Huskers both on and off the course in 2016-17. Judd, a junior from Olathe, Kan., was a regular in Nebraska’s lineup in her first two seasons in the program. As a freshman, she played 24 rounds for the Big Red and finished with a 78.08 average. She competed for Nebraska at the 2015 and 2016 Big Ten Championships.

Judd also has demonstrated her leadership potential as a two-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team, while also earning academic All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore in 2016.

Gillman, a junior from Austin, Texas, competed in just 12 rounds for the Huskers as a sophomore. As a freshman, she played 27 rounds for the Big Red and produced a 78.22 stroke average. She was also in the lineup for the Huskers as a true freshman at the 2015 Big Ten Championships.

Off the course, Gillman was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and earned academic All-Big Ten accolades before being named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Smith Steps to Top of Lineup
Kate Smith is making an immediate impact on the Nebraska lineup.

The true freshman from Detroit Lakes, Minn., is the only five-time individual state champion in Minnesota high school history. She capped her career by claiming a share of her record fifth title on June 15, while leading Detroit Lakes High School to its fourth state team championship in the past five years.

The winner of the 2016 Minnesota Ms. Golf Award, Smith set three course records as a senior, including a 64 at The Vintage Course. As a junior, she produced a stellar 70.37 stroke average.
Smith earned the No. 1 spot in Nebraska’s five-player lineup for the Ptarmigan Ram Classic and posted a top-15 finish (T15th, 221) to open her collegiate career. She followed with a tie for eighth (76-70-146) at the East & West Match Play Challenge. Through two events (five rounds), Smith owns Nebraska’s top individual stroke average (73.40).

Smith continues a tradition of top golfers from the state of Minnesota playing at Nebraska, including Cassie Deeg (Hugo, 2013-16), Steffi Neisen (New Prague, 2011-14), Chrissie McArdle (Eden Prairie, 2004-07) and Jackie Beste (2003-06). In fact, the 2016-17 season will mark the seventh consecutive year that Nebraska has had at least one Minnesota golfer in its lineup.

Nebraska’s 2016 Senior Trio
Cassie Deeg, Morgan Smejkal and Cassidy Stelzmiller made up a three-golfer senior class that led the Huskers on and off the course in 2015-16.

Deeg produced NU’s top stroke average (75.38) on her way to the second-best career stroke average (76.31) in Husker history. She was a two-time Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner (2015, 2016) and won a 2015 Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award.

Smejkal, a fifth-year senior from Columbus, notched Nebraska’s No. 3 stroke average (75.75) a year ago. A four-time academic All-Big Ten selection, Smejkal was a HERO Leadership Award winner in 2014.

Stelzmiller gave Nebraska a pair of fifth-year seniors in 2016. The Placerville, Calif., native enjoyed her best season as a senior and produced her second career top-25 finish at the Big Ten Championships (25th). A three-time WGCA Scholastic All-American and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Stelzmiller earned her bachelor’s degree as an accounting major at Nebraska in December 2015. She was a Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award winner in 2016.

Big Red Face Solid Schedule
The Huskers will face another challenging schedule in 2016-17, beginning with the Ptarmigan Ram Classic in Fort Collins, Colo., Sept. 12-13. The Huskers continued the fall at the East & West Match Play Challenge in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 18-20.

Nebraska make its only home appearance of the year at the 2016 Chip-N Club Invitational at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course in Lincoln, Sept. 25-27.

The Huskers return to Colorado for the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Denver, Oct. 7-9, before wrapping up the fall portion of the schedule at the UNLV Collegiate Showdown in Boulder City, Nev., Oct. 23-25.

The spring schedule tees off with the Central District Invitational in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Feb. 20-21, before the Huskers return to the Westbrook Spring Invitational in Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 26-27.

Three weeks later, Nebraska returns to Arizona for the Clover Cup in Mesa, March 17-19, before concluding the regular season at the Hawkeye El Tigre in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, April 2-4.

NU heads to Maineville, Ohio, to compete at the Big Ten Championships, April 21-23, 2017. The Huskers will compete for the conference crown on the Arnold Palmer-designed Tournament Players Club River’s Bend Course.

Nebraska hopes to contend for its 12th NCAA Regional bid since 1994. NCAA Regional competitions will be held in Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State), Lubbock, Texas (Texas Tech) and Albuquerque, N.M. (New Mexico) May 8-10, before the NCAA Championships are held at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., May 18-24.

Huskers Set Pace in Classroom
Nebraska leads the nation with 69 WGCA Scholastic All-Americans since 1989.

Cassidy Stelzmiller earned the third WGCA Scholastic All-America award of her career in 2016. She also claimed the honor in 2013 and 2015. Stelzmiller, who was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2013 and 2015, joined Haley Thiele in capturing the WGCA Scholastic honor in 2016. Emily Gillman was a 2015 WGCA Scholastic All-America award winner. Gillman added a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar award in 2016.

Five Husker golfers earned academic All-Big Ten accolades in 2016, including Stelzmiller, Cassie Deeg, Morgan Smejkal, Sarah Pravecek and Audrey Judd.

Overall, Nebraska owns one of the richest academic traditions in all of collegiate sports with a nation-leading 325 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans across all teams and all sports. NU also leads the nation with 17 NCAA Top Ten Award winners.