Honors & Awards
- Six Career Top-25 Finishes (3 in 2015-16)
- Tied for 54th at Big Ten Championships (2016)
- Tied for 55th at Big Ten Championships (2014)
- Nebraska Women’s Match Play Champion (2013)
- Tied for Second at Nebraska Women’s Stroke Play (2012)
- Academic All-Big Ten (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll
(Fall 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015; Spring 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) - Beatrice Dierks Rohman Memorial Scholarship (2014, 2015)
- Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award (2014)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2014, 2015, 2016)
- Two-Time Nebraska Class A All-State (2009, 2010)
- Two-Time Nebraska Junior Golf All-Star (2009, 2010)
- Member of Nebraska Four State Team (2010, 2011)
Best Career Finish: T12th (2015 Chip-N Club Invite)
Career Stroke Average: 78.24
Senior (2015-16)
Morgan Smejkal (pronounced SMAY-kal) played the best golf of her career as a senior. She held Nebraska's top stroke average for much of the season before finishing third among the Huskers with a 75.75 average over 32 rounds.
The fifth-year senior from Columbus, Neb., closed her NU career by tying for 54th with a 226 (76-78-72) at the 2016 Big Ten Championships at The Fort Golf Resort in Indianapolis, April 22-24.
Smejkal produced the five best tournament scores of her career in 2015-16. Her then-career-best 222 (77-73-72) powered her to a tie for 14th at the GolfWeek Conference Challenge at the Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colo., Sept. 21-23.
She followed with a career-best tie for 12th with a then-career best 220 (72-73-75) over three rounds at Nebraska's Chip-N Club Invitational at the Country Club of Lincoln, Oct. 5-6.
Smejkal continued her strong play with a career-best 218 (72-73-73) the following week at the Pinehurst Challenge in North Carolina. She closed the fall season with a 220 (70-78-72) that included a career-best two-under-par 70 in the opening round of the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, Oct. 25-27.
Early in the spring season, Smejkal tied her career-best tournament score with a 218 (72-73-73) at the Westbrook Spring Invitational in Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 21-22. She tied for 30th as NU's top finisher at Westbrook.
Smejkal opened her fifth season as a Husker with a 238 (79-83-76) to finish 47th at the season-opening Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational at Colbert Hills in Manhattan, Kan., Sept. 7-8.
She opened the spring portion of Nebraska's season with a two-round total of 150 to tie for 27th at the Peg Barnard Invitational, Feb. 13-14. After her strong effort at Westbrook, she settled for a 237 (75-81-81) to tie for 68th at the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz., March 11-13. Smejkal added a tie for 40th in a strong 97-player field at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Hawaii Invitational, March 22-23. She posted a three-round score of 230 (80-75-75-230) in Hawaii as NU's No. 3 finisher.
Smejkal settled for an 88th-place (80-81-84-245) at the Silverado Showdown in Napa, Calif., April 3-5.
A standout off the course, Smejkal is a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection and a three-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team. She is also the first-ever two-time recipient of the Beatrice Dierks Rohman Memorial Scholarship.
“It has been exciting to watch Morgan develop as a player,” Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. “The swing is there, the length is there. The thing that has been holding her back in the past is that she wants it too bad and tries too hard. When she can just relax and play and let things happen, watch out. She can go low.”
Junior (2014-15)
Smejkal provided leadership on and off the course for the young Huskers in 2014-15. She opened her fourth season at NU with a career-best 13th-place finish with a 225 (76-76-73) over three rounds at the Chip-N Club Invitational at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course, Sept. 8-9.
She closed the fall with another tie for 13th at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, Oct. 22-23. Smejkal’s three-round score of 224 (71-75-78) was a season best and included a then-career-best one-under-par 71 in the opening round.
Her effort in Hawaii followed a tie for 26th with a 230 (82-72-76) at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch, Colo., Oct. 10-12.
Smejkal, who competed in the Husker lineup in each of NU’s first eight events, finished fourth on the team with a 77.04 stroke average in 2014-15. It represented a 2.37 stroke per round improvement over her sophomore season. However, she did not earn a lineup spot in NU’s regular-season finale at the SMU/Dallas Athletic Club Invite or the 2015 Big Ten Championships.
Smejkal tied for 50th with a 237 (84-78-75) at the Minnesota Invite, Sept. 15-16. Her final-round 75 was NU’s best round of the day. She added a tie for 71st with a 239 (76-77-86) at the GolfWeek Conference Challenge in Vail, Colo., Sept. 22-24.
Smejkal opened the spring by tying for 67th (74-80-74-228) at the Westbrook Invite in Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 22-23. She added a tie for 68th (80-78-84-242) at the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz., March 13-15. She tied her season best with a 224 (77-75-72) to tie for 55th at the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz., March 20-21.
Sophomore (2013-14)
Smejkal finished with a 79.41 stroke average, which marked a 2.15 stroke per round improvement over 2012-13. She opened 2013-14 in NU’s lineup at the Chip-N Club Invite, tying for 61st with a 251 (85-83-83), as the Huskers won the team title. Smejkal earned a second lineup spot at the Hoosier Fall Invite in Greenwood, Ind., Oct. 19-20. She tied for 62nd in a 96-player field at 234 (79-80-75). She closed the fall with a third lineup appearance at the wind-shortened Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, Oct. 27-29. Smejkal tied for 78th (82-76-158).
Smejkal notched a then-career-best two-over-par 74 in the final round of the Westbrook Invite in Mesa, Ariz., Feb. 23-24. It capped a then-career-best 226, as she tied for 63rd individually.
Smejkal tied for 55th (78-77-75-230) playing as an individual at the Mountain View Collegiate in Mesa, Ariz., March 28-29. She earned a spot in NU’s top five at the SMU/Dallas Athletic Club Invite, April 4-6, and tied for 73rd (89-83-162).
She earned another lineup spot at the Ohio State Spring Invite, April 19-20, finishing in a tie for 60th (83-81-82-246). Smejkal claimed a spot in NU’s six-player lineup for the Big Ten Championships in French Lick, Ind., April 25-27. She was NU’s No. 4 finisher, tying for 55th (75-84-81-240). Her opening-round 75 put her in the top 10 heading into the second round.
Redshirt Freshman (2012-13)
Smejkal was a regular in the Nebraska lineup through the first 25 rounds of 2012-13, finishing with NU’s No. 4 stroke average (81.56). She did not compete in NU’s regular-season finale at the SMU/Dallas Athletic Club Invite or the Big Ten Tournament.
Smejkal notched a season-best tie for 21st (80-77-80-237) in her collegiate debut at the Chip-N Club Invitational at the Country Club of Lincoln, Sept. 10-11.
Smejkal competed in the lineup at each of NU’s five fall tournaments, posting an 81.00 stroke average. She produced a season-best 232 (79-76-77) at the Price’s “Give ‘Em Five” Invite in Las Cruces, N.M., Oct. 8-10, including a season-best 76.
She settled for 89th 256 (84-89-79) at the GolfWeek Conference Challenge in Wolcott, Colo., Sept. 24-26. She added a 244 (81-84-79) to tie for 49th at the Missouri State/Payne Stewart Memorial in Springfield, Mo., Oct. 15-16. She closed the fall with a tie for 74th at the Alamo Invite, Oct. 28-30. Smejkal matched her season best with an opening-round 76 in San Antonio, before adding rounds of 84 and 86 to close at 246.
Smejkal opened the spring by finishing 82nd (83-93-81-257) at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, Feb. 10-12. She followed with a tie for 61st (82-79-76-237) at the Westbrook Invite in Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 24-25. Her final-round 76 tied her season best. She tied for 86th (81-86-79-246) at the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz., March 9-10, before shooting an 84 in a dual at Kansas March 20.
Redshirt (2011-12)
Smejkal redshirted in her first season at Nebraska. In the classroom, She earned spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in both the fall and spring semesters of 2011-12.
High School/Amateur
A two-time Class A All-State pick and a four-time state qualifier, Smejkal captured medalist honors at seven of her 11 tournaments before finishing fourth as an individual at the 2010 Class A state tournament in Norfolk. As a junior in 2009, she tied for fifth at the Class A state tournament. She produced the No. 2 and No. 5 season scoring averages in Columbus High School history, while setting the school record for best round with a 72.
In addition to her success in high school golf for Coach Anne Robertson, Smejkal was also a member of the Nebraska Junior Golf All-Star Team in 2009 and 2010, and she was a member of the Nebraska Four State Team in 2010 and 2011.
Along with earning four letters in golf, Smejkal was a standout for the Columbus High School girls basketball team. As a junior in 2009-10, Smejkal earned all-state and All-Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference honors. She also holds the Discoverers record for most three-pointers made in a season. Smejkal is also a first degree black belt in Taekwondo.
A member of the National Honor Society, Smejkal was an honor roll student and two-time academic all-conference golfer. She added academic all-conference honors in basketball in 2010.
Smejkal tied for second at the 2012 Nebraska Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Championship at the Oakland Golf Club, and won the Nebraska State Women’s Match Play title in 2013.
Personal
The daughter of Joel and Andrea Smejkal, Morgan was born Dec. 7, 1992, in Columbus, Neb. She has a younger brother, Parker. Morgan earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska as a marketing and management major in December of 2015. She was a four-time academic All-Big Ten selection. She also claimed nine spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll.
In addition to her success in the classroom, Smejkal has been a standout in the community, earning a prestigious Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award in 2014. She was a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2014, 2015 and 2016. She is also the first-ever two-time recipient of the Beatrice Dierks Rohman Memorial Scholarship.
Smejkal chose Nebraska over Wichita State, South Dakota State, Creighton, Miami and South Dakota.
Smejkal's Career Statistics
|
Year |
Rounds |
Strokes |
Avg. |
Low 18 |
Low 54 |
| 2012-13 | 25 | 2,039 | 81.56 | 76 | 232 |
| 2013-14 | 22 | 1,747 | 79.41 | 74 | 226 |
|
2014-15 |
24 |
1,849 |
77.04 |
71 |
224 |
|
2015-16 |
32 |
2,424 |
75.75 |
70 |
218 |
|
Totals |
103 |
8,059 |
78.24 |
70 |
218 |