Weekly Release #5

Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sun., Feb. 25-27 -- at Midwest Classic (Dallas, Texas)
Sat-Sun., Mar. 18-19 -- at Stetson Hatter Spring Fling (Daytona Beach, Fla.)

Next on the Tee
The University of Michigan women's golf team travels south for its spring season kickoff as the Wolverines will participate in the Midwest Classic Feb. 25-27 in Dallas, Texas. The 54-hole tournament will be played at the Hyatt Bear Creek Golf Club.

After the tournament, the Wolverines will stay in Texas, stopping in Austin and Waco to practice at different courses throughout Texas. Michigan have stops at Great Hills Country Club (Feb. 29), Austin Country Club (March 1) and Onion Creek (March 2) before returning March 4.

Classic Format
The Midwest Classic will be held at the Hyatt Bear Creek Golf Club in Dallas, Texas, with the course being set up for a par of 72 (5,838 yards). The teams will compete on the West Course. The 54-hole tournament will consist of 18 holes per day, starting Friday (Feb. 25) in a tee-time format. Each day's competition will begin approximately at 8 a.m. CST.

Participating Teams
This year the Midwest Classic will consist of 15 teams, including six teams ranked in the nation's top 50. Participating teams include Illinois, Illinois State, Iowa, Iowa State, Lamar, Michigan, Michigan State (No. 42), Minnesota, Missouri (No. 39), Nebraska (No. 29), Northwestern (No. 25), Southern Illinois, SMU, Texas Christian (No. 24) and Wisconsin (No. 37).

Classic History
This will be the fifth annual Midwest Classic and it will include the largest field in tournament history with 15 teams participating. The tournament was played in Phoenix, Ariz., the first three years, but was moved to its new home in Dallas, Texas, at the Hyatt Bear Creek last season. Big Ten Conference schools have won all four tournaments, with Minnesota winning in 1996 and 1999 and Northwestern winning in 1997 and 1998.

The Michigan Lineup
Michigan will use five individuals at the Midwest Classic. Freshman Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) and sophomore Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./North HS) lead the lineup. Sophomore Cortney Reno (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) and junior Amy Talbot (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) round out the top four.

Sophomore LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS), sophomore Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) and sophomore Stephanie MacAdams (Lubbock, Texas/Coronado HS) will be evaluated during the practice round to shore up the fifth spot at the Classic.

Coach Kathy Teichert on the Upcoming Tournament
On the team's workouts over the winter ... "We have been working all winter long on our swings. We have been hitting balls as much as we can, taping the players' swings and critiquing them. It's just going to be nice to get out onto a course."

On the Midwest Classic ... "It will be interesting because some teams are coming off of some early tournaments and we will getting ready for our first after a long layoff. The challenge for ourselves is to play the best we possibly can and make shots. We just have to take it one shot at a time. It shouldn't take us long to get into a groove since we spent so much time on our swings. The chipping and putting are the only two areas that worry me."

Wolverines Close Out Fall Season at Hatter Fall Classic
Michigan closed out its fall season with a seventh-place finish out of the 14 teams competing at the Hatter Fall Classic Oct. 24-25 in Deland, Fla. The Wolverines finished the-two day tournament, played at the Deland Country Club, with a final team total of 651 after team round scores of 324 and 327.

Freshman Kim Benedict and sophomore Bess Bowers led the Wolverines at the Hatter Fall Classic as they finished tied for 17th. Benedict and Bowers played the reversal game as Benedict finished the two-day tournament firing rounds of 80 and 82 for a 162 total, and Bowers finished with rounds of 82 and 80.

Sophomore Cortney Reno had a solid tournament, firing a season-best 163 after shooting rounds of 80 and 83. Other Wolverine finishes included: junior Amy Talbot, tied for 25th (82-83/165); sophomore LeAnna Wicks, tied for 40th (88-82/170); and sophomore Misia Lemanski, competing as an individual, tied for 29th (83-83/166).

Benedict and Bowers Battle for Top Spot
Freshman Kim Benedict and sophomore Bess Bowers continue to battle for the top two spots on the Wolverine squad. Both are tied for the team lead with a scoring average of 79.61, and both have played in all five tournaments this season, shooting a season total of 1,035.

In addition, both have led the Wolverines twice at tournaments this season -- Bowers at the Lady Northern and Wolverine Invitational and Benedict at the Mary Fossum Invitational and Shootout at the Legends. Ironically, in the last fall tournament of the season, the Hatter Fall Classic, the two tied for top team honors as they both finished with 162 final scores and a tie for 17th place.

The only edge each has is Benedict has fired a better 54-hole total with 224, compared to Bowers' best of 233, but Bowers has fired a better 36-hole total with 161, compared with Benedict's 162.

Bowers Continues to Impress in Final Rounds
After leading the Wolverines in the opening tournament of the fall season, sophomore Bess Bowers hopes to continue to show her consistent play and comeback ability in the final round during the spring season.

At the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 9-10), Bowers fired an opening-round 82 to leave her tied for 14th overall at the Invitational and the third best score on Michigan's Blue team. She adjusted on the second day, shooting a team-best 79 to finish tied for 10th overall and lead the Blue squad at the Invitational.

Two days later at the Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 11-12), Bowers opened the tournament with a season best score of 70 but fell off the second day, firing a 79. But again, Bowers recovered with a final round of 74 to finish tied for 35th. She closed out the fall season at the Hatter Classic (Oct. 24-25) with an opening round of 82 but finished with an 80 to tie for 17th.

Freshman Finding Niche
In her first collegiate tournament, Kim Benedict finished tied for 63rd. In her second collegiate tournament, she finished tied for 26th. The climb up the tournament ladder continued for the freshman as she finished the last three fall tournaments in the top 20.

Benedict finished tied for 16th at the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 9-10), followed that with a tie for 13th at the Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 11-12) and finished with a tie for 17th at the Hatter Fall Classic (Oct. 24-25).

Lowering the Average
Sophomore LeAnna Wicks continued to lower her scoring average during the fall season. After hitting for an 83.95 per round average last season, Wicks has been consistent this season as she has lowered her average by two and a half strokes to 81.30 during the fall. She recorded as career-best round of 74 at the Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 11-12).

MacAdams Hits Mark Again and Again
Sophomore Stephanie MacAdams continued to improve as the fall season ended. She rolled through the Wolverine Invitational finishing tied for 16th, leading the Maize team. After her performance, she qualified for the Shootout at the Legends the next day. She had a shaky 86 in the first round but recovered with an 81 and 80.

MacAdams has dropped a stroke and a half on her stroke average from a year ago. She hit for 83.81 per round last season, but has been rolling this season with an 82.25 scoring average.

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