Honors & Awards
- All-Big Eight (1987)
- Three-Time Big Eight Championships Competitor
(8th, 1987; 19th, 1986; T26th, 1985) - 1986-87 Team Captain
- Eight Top-25 Tournament Finishes as a Senior (1986-87)
- UNI Panther Invitational Tournament Champion (1986-87)
Senior (1986-87)
Nebraska's team captain, Laura Gunia earned All-Big Eight honors as a senior in 1986-87. The four-year letterwinner from Alliance, Neb., posted an eighth-place finish in her last trip to the Big Eight Championships in Oklahoma City.
Gunia, who made impressive gains throughout her Nebraska career, enjoyed her best season with a team-leading 80.24 stroke average over 25 rounds, an improvement of 8.34 strokes per round over her freshman season in 1983-84. Gunia's eighth-place finish at the Big Eight Tournament included a career-best 75 in the second round, as she finished with a three-round total of 235. It was her eighth top-25 finish in nine tournaments as a senior.
Gunia notched her career best with a three-round score of 232 (78-78-76) earlier in the season on her way to the only individual tournament title of her career at the Panther Invitational. She opened the year with a second-place finish (77-79-79-235) at the Cyclone Golf Classic. After taking 42nd (244) at the All-College Kickoff in Oklahoma, Gunia won the Panther Invite and finished no lower than 25th the rest of the season.
She took 19th (244) at the Duke Fall Invitational, before notching a 10th-place finish with a 241 at the Kansas Jayhawk Invitational. She took 18th (161) at the North Texas Lady Eagle, before claiming 25th (254) at the prestigious Susie Maxwell Berning Classic. She tuned up for the Big Eight Championships by taking 13th (160) at the Tiger Spring Invitational in Missouri. Gunia finished her senior season 197th in the NCAA player rankings.
Junior (1985-86)
Gunia continued to play solid golf near the top of Nebraska's lineup as a junior in 1985-86. She posted an 84.0 stroke average over 21 rounds, including a tie for 19th (249) individually at the 1986 Big Eight Championships at the Country Club of Lincoln. Gunia's effort, which included a second-round 79, helped the Huskers to a third-place team finish.
Gunia opened the year with a season-best 247 to finish 21st at the Gopher Fall Invitational. She tied for 20th (251) at the Rayburn Country Classic, before tying for 24th (253) at the prestigious Susie Maxwell Berning Classic. Gunia added a tie for 32nd (167) with teammate Nancy Steen at the North Texas Lady Eagle, while tying for 45th (166) at the Alabama-Seascape Invitational.
Sophomore (1984-85)
In her second season on the course for the Huskers, Gunia made major gains with a 5.61 improvement in her season stroke average. She played in a career-high 29 rounds and posted an 82.97, which trailed only Kari Mangan among the Huskers.
She fired a season-best 77 in the final round of the Illini Spring Invitational to finish with a season-best 239. Her effort in Illinois matched a 239 she fired at the UNI Panther Invite in Cedar Falls, Iowa during the fall campaign. For the season, she produced seven rounds better than 80.
Gunia ended her season at the 1985 Big Eight Championships, where she tied for 26th with a 265.
Freshman (1983-84)
Gunia made an immediate impression on the Nebraska women's golf team as a freshman in 1983-84. The Alliance, Neb., native competed in four tournaments and finished with an 88.58 stroke average over 12 rounds.
She fired her best round of the season in the first round of her collegiate debut with an 82 at the All-College Kickoff in Oklahoma. She added an 85 in the final round to finish with a season-best 258. She matched that tournament score at the Mizzou Invitational, which included an 83 in the first round. She also competed for NU at the Wichita State Invitational and the Kansas State Invite to earn her first varsity letter.
Gunia's Career Statistics
Year
Rounds
Strokes
Avg.
Low 18
Low 54
1983-84
12
1,063
88.58
82
258
1984-85
29
2,406
82.97
77
239
1985-86
21
1,763
84.00
79
247
1986-87
25
2,006
80.24
75
232
Totals
87
7,238
83.20
75
232