Hillcrest Background Web

Honors & Awards

  • 1988 Nebraska Co-Captain
  • Three-Time Big Eight Championships Competitor
    (T11th, 1986; T24th, 1987; 23rd, 1988)
  • 12 Career Top-25 Tournament Finishes
  • Five Career Top-10 Tournament Finishes
  • Nebraska's First-Ever Academic All-Big Eight Women's Golfer (1988)

Senior (1987-88)
Francee Kopecky wrapped up a solid Nebraska career with a strong senior season for the Huskers in 1987-88. A a three-year letterwinner and co-captain from Bellevue, Kopecky produced a career-best 82.79 stroke average over a career-high 22 rounds for Nebraska. She also fired a career-best 74 in the final round of the Husker Classic, while erupting for a career-best 232 at the South Alabama Gulf Shores Invitational.

Nebraska's first-ever academic All-Big Eight selection in women's golf, Kopecky produced four top-10 tournament finishes as a senior, while posting top-25 finishes in seven of her nine tournaments.

After opening her senior season with a 250 over three rounds at the Iowa State Invitational, Kopecky posted a tie for 14th (171) at the Minnesota-Hazeltone National Invitational. She notched the best tournament finish of her career by tying for fifth (247) at the Kansas Jayhawk Invite, before matching it in her next tournament with a fifth-place showing (167) at the North Texas Lady Eagle. After tying for 37th (258) at the prestigious Susie Maxwell Berning Classic, Kopecky tied for ninth (239) at the Husker Classic to help Nebraska to the team title.

Kopecky may have played the best golf of her career in the next tournament, firing rounds of 77-78-77 to finish with a career-best 232 at the Gulf Shores Invite. She closed her career with a 23rd-place finish (259) at the Big Eight Championships in Stillwater, Okla.

Junior (1986-87)
Kopecky followed a sensational sophomore season with a solid junior campaign at Nebraska. She produced three top-25 tournament finishes, including a season-best seventh-place showing with a 249 at the Panther Invitational to open her season. She added a 16th-place finish with a season-best 242 at the Duke Fall Invite. She fired a season-best 77 in the opening round in Durham, N.C. After finishing 28th (257) at the Kansas Jayhawk Invitational and the North Texas Lady Eagle Invite (165), Kopecky managed 34th (170) at the Tiger Classic. She closed the season with a 24th-place effort with a 256 at the Big Eight Championships in Oklahoma City.

For the season, Kopecky produced an 83.69 stroke average over 16 rounds.

Sophomore (1985-86)
Kopecky was not a member of the Nebraska women's golf team as a freshman in 1984-85, but made a major impact in her first season on the squad in 1985-86. The Bellevue, Neb., native posted an 85.33 stroke average over 21 rounds with a trio of top-25 finishes, while saving her best golf for the final tournament of the season.

In her first Big Eight Championships appearance, Kopecky stormed the Lincoln Country Club course for a season-best 239 that included a season-best 79 in the second round to close as NU's No. 3 finisher in a tie for 11th individually. She helped the Huskers to a third-place team finish.

Kopecky finished 24th (255) at the Rayburn Country Classic hosted by the University of Iowa in Jasper, Texas, after opening the season with a top-25 finish by taking 25th (251) at the Gopher Fall Invitational.

She also tied for 34th (168) at the North Texas Lady Eagle Kopecky tied for 46th (267) at the Susie Maxwell Berning ClassicShe finished 68th (181) at the Alabama-Seascape Invite. During the fall campaign, she managed matching scores of 261 at the Cowgirl and Tulsa invitationals.

High School/Amateur
Kopecky was the 1987 Nebraska State Match Play runner-up and was an Omaha Female Golfer of the Year. She was a 1984 graduate of Bellevue East High School.

Personal
The daughter of Don Kopecky Sr., Francee was born Feb. 21, 1966, in Omaha. She was Nebraska's first academic All-Big Eight women's golfer, earning the award as a senior in 1988. She was also a Peter Kiewit Foundation Scholar at Nebraska.

Kopecky’s Career Statistics

Year

Rounds

Strokes

Avg.

Low 18

Low 54

1985-86

21

1,792

85.33

77

242

1986-87 16 1,339 83.69 73 222
1987-88 22 1,823 82.79 74 232

Totals

59

4,954

83.97

74

232