Weekly Release #7

Upcoming Schedule
Sun-Mon., March 26-27 -- at Saluki Invitational (Carbondale, Ill.)
Sat-Sun., April 8-9 -- at Indiana Invitational (Bloomington, Ind.)

Next on the Tee
The University of Michigan women's golf team will stay north for the first time in three tournaments as the Wolverines will travel to Carbondale, Ill., to participate in the fifth annual Saluki Invitational on Sunday and Monday (March 26-27). The two-day tournament will be hosted by Southern Illinois University at Hickory Ridge Golf Course.

Saluki Invitational Format
The Saluki Invitational will be played at the Hickory Ridge Golf Course with the course set up for a par of 72 and yardage of 5,999. The 36-hole tournament will consist of 18 holes per day, starting Sunday (March 26) at 9 a.m. CST and Monday (March 27) at 9 a.m. Both rounds will have shotgun starts and six-count-four scoring.

Participating Teams
This year the Saluki Invitational will consist of 16 teams, including Bradley, Creighton, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Ferris State, Illinois State, Logan College, Michigan, Murray State, Northern Iowa, Southwest Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Toledo and Wisconsin.

Michigan's Success at the Saluki Invitational
Michigan will compete in its first Saluki Invitational in nearly three years. The Wolverines have had plenty of success when they have competed in the Saluki Invitational. In the three tournaments Michigan has played in the Wolverines have one team title (1996) and two individual titles, by Shannon McDonald (1995) and Katy Loy (1996).

The Michigan Lineup
Michigan will use six individuals at the Saluki Invitational. Sophomore Cortney Reno (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) heads up the Wolverine travel squad. Sophomore Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS), freshman Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) and sophomore Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./North HS) round out the top four. Sophomore LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS), junior Trish Watkins (Darien, Conn./Darien HS), sophomore Stephanie MacAdams (Lubbock, Texas/Coronado HS) and junior Amy Talbot (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) will battle for the last two spots during the week's practice qualifiers.

Season Bests Help U-M Tie for Eighth at Stetson Tourney
The Wolverines used consistent play and season-best scoring to capture their third top-10 finish of the year with a tie for eighth at Stetson's Hatter Spring Fling Saturday and Sunday (March 18-19) at Pelican Bay Country Club's North Course in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Wolverines opened the two-day tournament firing a 329 first-round total but came back to shoot 320 in the second round en route to a 649 total, a U-M season best for a 36-hole tournament. The Wolverines tied with Austin Peay State for eighth place.

Sophomore Cortney Reno led the way for the Wolverines, shooting a career-low 75 on Sunday on the way to a 154 total and her best career finish, a tie for sixth. Sophomore Misia Lemanski followed suit as she finished tied for 28th after a season-best tournament total of 162, tying her season best with an 80 in the first round and following that with an 82. Freshman Kim Benedict tied for 47th (85-82=167), junior Amy Talbot tied for 55th (88-81=169), sophomore Bess Bowers tied for 62nd (85-86=171) and junior Jennifer Baumann competed as an individual, finishing tied for 43rd (82-84=166).

Wolverines Shoot Season-Best Score
With consistent play and solid course management, Michigan fired a season-best two-day tournament total with a 649 at the Hatter Spring Fling (March 18-19). The Wolverines opened the tournament with a 329 first round score, but rallied on the second day, dropping nine strokes for a 320. The final score at the Spring Fling bettered the 650 total at the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 9-10) and the 651 total at the Hatter Fall Classic (Oct. 24-25). On the season, the Wolverines are averaging 322.83 per round as a team.

Sun Trips Come to an End ... Doesn't Matter Though
After spending the last three tournaments in the sun and warm weather of Florida and Texas, the Wolverines will finish out their season with four tournaments in the Midwest as they head to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. However, the Wolverines have been on fire playing near their home state of Michigan as they averaged 312.45 per round in the first four fall tournaments that were in the Midwest, well below Michigan's average of 329.14 per round in the three southern trips.

Reno Takes Over Team Lead
Sophomore Cortney Reno has been one of the Wolverines' most consistent players this season, and she led the way for Michigan for the second straight tournament at the Hatter Spring Fling (March 18-19). Reno took charge at the Spring Fling as she finished in a career-best tie for sixth after a career-low total of 154. She kicked off the tournament with a 79 and then ripped a career-best 75 in the second round.

With that performance she took over the team lead for stroke average as she currently has an 80.33 per round average. She has dropped nearly six strokes off her scoring average from a year ago as she finished her freshman season averaging 86.67 per round.

The previous week, Reno led the way for the Wolverines in the Midwest Classic (Feb. 25-27) with a final three-round total of 246, marking the first time this season someone other than freshman Kim Benedict or sophomore Bess Bowers finished as the top tournament player.

Baumann Makes Second Trip of Year
Junior Jennifer Baumann (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS) made just her second tournament appearance of the year as she traveled to Daytona Beach, Fla., and played as an individual at the Hatter Spring Fling (March 18-19). She played well, shooting a season-best total of 166 after rounds of 82 and 84, which was good for a tie for 43rd.

Earlier this season, Baumann shot rounds of 89 and 83 for a 172 total at the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 9-10). She has competed in 14 events in her three years in Ann Arbor and carries an 85.08 stroke average over that time. Her best career finish was a tie for 33rd at the 1998 Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 3-4, 1998).

Cracking the Lineup Card
Sophomore Misia Lemanski has continued to be inked as one of the Wolverine travel squad members as her play continues to improve. In the last fall tournament, the Hatter Fall Classic (Oct. 24-25), she competed as an individual and played so well that it helped earn her a spot in the first two tournaments of the spring. Her play has not slowed as she is right on pace, averaging 83.80 over the last five rounds.

Freshman's Wrist Might Lead to Redshirt
Freshman Sarah Rector (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids HS) played in only one fall tournament and has been nursing tendinitis in her wrist. She has be rehabbing all winter and will be evaluated during the first few weeks of the spring season to determine whether or not she will redshirt the season.

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423