Honors & Awards
- Three-Time All-Big Eight (1982, 1983, 1984)
- Four-Time Big Eight Championships Competitor
(2nd, 1984; 2nd, 1983; T4th, 1982; 17th, 1981) - Nebraska Team Captain (1984)
- Top Finisher on Nebraska's 1983 Big Eight Championship Team
Senior (1983-84)
A star for the Cornhuskers during the early 1980's, Cathy Nelson was Nebraska's first three-time All-Big Eight performer. Nelson captured runner-up honors in both 1983 and 1984, after finishing in a tie for fourth as a sophomore in 1982.
As a junior, Nelson missed out on a Big Eight individual title by just one stroke, firing a 234 (77-78-79) at Quail Creek Country Club in Oklahoma City, while Oklahoma State's Janice Burba (81-75-77-234) took the title. However, Nelson and teammates Shelly Godeken (237) and Jan Stanard (238) finished 2-3-4 in the standings to give Nebraska its second Big Eight Conference team championship in 1983.
In 1984, Nelson scorched the A.L. Gustin Jr. Golf Course in Columbia, Mo., for a season-best 229 (77-75-77) trailing only OSU's Robin Hood (224) in the individual standings. Nelson also led Nebraska to a runner-up team finish.
Nelson played in all 27 rounds for the Huskers as a senior, finishing with a team-best 79.26 stroke average on the year. For her career, she produced an 80.19 average over 98 rounds, competing in all but six rounds for the Huskers during her four-year career.
The Omaha native opened her senior season with a 247 at the Susie Maxwell Berning All-College Kickoff in Oklahoma, before firing a 230 that included a career-best 73 in the opening round at the Lady Northern Invitational in Iowa City. She came back with a 236 at the Mizzou Invitational, before adding a 235, including a final-round 73 at the Kansas Invite. Nelson posted a 239 at the South Alabama Invitational, before settling for a 249 at the OU Invite. She notched a 239 at Wichita State, before tuning up for her final Big Eight Championship run with a 236 at Kansas State.
For the season, Nelson fired 13 rounds of 79 or better.
Junior (1982-83)
Nelson captured All-Big Eight honors for the second straight season, taking runner-up honors at the Big Eight Championships in Oklahoma City. Nelson fired a 234 over three rounds, missing a Big Eight individual crown by just one stroke as Oklahoma State's Janice Burba took the title with a 233.
Nelson's performance, along with a 237 from Shelly Godeken and a 238 from Jan Stanard gave the Huskers a 2-3-4 individual finish and helped provide Nebraska with its second Big Eight Conference team title. NU finished with a three-round total of 958, edging second-place Oklahoma by four strokes (962), while OSU finished nine shots back at 967.
Nelson posted an 80.0 stroke average over 19 rounds, competing in all but the Kansas Invite for the Huskers. She opened the season with a 239 at the Susie Maxwell Berning All-College Kickoff in Oklahoma, before settling for a 254 at the Iowa State Invite. After sitting out the KU Invite, Nelson notched a career-best 226 (74-78-74) at the Mizzou Invitational, before adding a 240 at the Torneo de Universitario de Golf in Monterrey, Mexico. She fired matching rounds of 76 in the first two rounds in Mexico, giving her five consecutive rounds of 78 or better.
After providing solid scores at the Iowa Invitational and the Mizzou Invite, Nelson capped her junior season by winning All-Big Eight honors with a 238 on the Quail Creek course in Oklahoma City.
Sophomore (1981-82)
Nelson claimed the first of three All-Big Eight awards during her career by tying for fourth at the Big Eight Championships in Ames, Iowa. The sophomore fired a three-round score of 239 to help the Huskers to a fourth-place team finish as NU's top finisher.
She competed in all 27 rounds for the Huskers in her second season, matching Jan Stanard for the team's best individual stroke average at 79.15.
Before her top-five finish at the Big Eight Championships, Nelson fired a season-best 230 (76-76-78) to win the individual title at the Iowa Invitational, while leading NU to the team title. She captured her first individual crown of the season with a 232 (77-79-76) at the Iowa State Invite, while helping the Huskers to a runner-up team finish in the 12-team event.
For the season, Nelson notched 79 or better 17 times in 27 rounds, providing remarkable consistency at the top of NU's lineup. Her season-best 74 came in the final round of the Kansas Invitational.
Freshman (1980-81)
A force in the Nebraska lineup as a true freshman, Nelson posted the Huskers' third-best stroke average (82.48) while competing in 25 of NU's 28 rounds. She opened her Husker career with a season-best 243 at the Susie Maxwell Berning All-College Kickoff in Oklahoma, which included a career-best 73 in the final round. She added a second-round 74 at the Iowa State Invite, before posting another 74 in the second round of the AIAW Region VI competition.
She capped her freshman season by finishing 17th (245) in her first appearance at the Big Eight Championships at the Alvamar Golf Club in Lawrence, Kan.
Personal
The daughter of William and Norma Nelson, Cathy was born on May 25, 1962, in Omaha. Cathy was a business administration major at Nebraska. She was a four-year letterwinner and the captain of the golf team at Millard High School.
Nelson's Career Statistics
Year
Rounds
Strokes
Avg.
Low 18
Low 54
1980-81
25
2,062
82.48
73
243
1981-82
27
2,137
79.15
74
230
1982-83
19
1,520
80.00
73
226
1983-84
27
2,140
79.26
73
229
Totals
98
7,859
80.19
73
226