Michigan
Lady Aztec Invitational
Poor Weather Gives Wolverines First Title in Five Years
2/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
LAKESIDE, Calif. -- The University of Michigan women's golf team won its first tournament in nearly five years after rainy weather caused the cancellation of the final round of the Lady Aztec Invitational on Tuesday (Feb. 13) at the Barona Creek Golf Course. The Wolverines tied Brigham Young for the Invitational title after both squads shot team totals of 311 on Monday.
After a half hour rain delay and sun breaking through the clouds, another weather system came through the area, bringing more rain. With the fairways holding too much standing water, the final round was then cancelled, giving the Wolverines their first team tournament title since the 1995-96 season. The Maize and Blue's last team tournament trophy was at the Purdue Invitational (April 13-14, 1996). That season, the Wolverines won three tournaments -- the Purdue Invitational, the Saluki Invitational (March 24-25, 1996) and the Lady Kat Invitational (Oct. 6-8, 1995).
Junior Cortney Reno (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) led the way for the Wolverines as her 74 was good for a tie for second place with Southern Illinois' Alison Hiller. BYU's Carrie Summerhays took home the individual medalist honors after firing a 71.
Sophomore Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) followed just behind Reno with her 76, which was good for fourth. Junior LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) finished tied for 20th after her round of 80, while freshman Sarah Kruer (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla Country Day) tied for 25th (81) and junior Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./North HS) tied for 34th (82). Junior Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) competed as an individual and tied for fifth after her round of 77.
The Wolverines continue their spring season with a trip to Dallas, Texas, to compete in the Midwest Classic (Feb. 23-25) at the Hyatt Bear Creek Golf Course.
Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 311 Brigham Young 311 3. Kent 317 4. Cal State-Northridge 320 5. Illinois 322 6. San Diego State 323 7. Long Beach State 325 8. Northern Arizona 326 9. Southern Illinois 328 10. Hawaii 329 11. Denver 330 12. Colorado 337 13. Weber State 340 14. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 347 15. Cal State-San Marcos 354 16. Cal State-Monterey Bay 374Top Individuals
1. Carrie Summerhays, BYU 71 2. CORTNEY RENO, U-M 74 Alison Hiller, Southern Illinois 74 4. KIM BENEDICT, U-M 76 5. MISIA LEMANSKI, U-M* 77 Tenille Howe, Weber State 77 Veronique Drouin, Kent 77 Heather Rollo, San Diego State 77 Marla Cox, Illinois 77 * individual competitorOther Michigan Scores
T20. LeAnna Wicks 80 T25. Sarah Kruer 81 T34. Bess Bowers 82
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Kathy Teichert
On the cancellation of the final round ... "We tried to play, but there was just so much standing water in the fairways that it was impossible to get the round in. The greens were 'okay' but with the weather not getting any better they had to call the tournament off. It's a little disappointing actually. Our girls really wanted to play."
On winning the tournament ... "It's a great win for us, but at the same time I wish we were able to get another competitive round under our belts. We were ready and warmed up great, but the weather was against us. I think this tournament goes to show you that our girls want to go out and win every time they go out there."
On the team's play ... "I felt like the round that we got in was very positive. The practice and work we did over the winter really showed. I still think it would have been beneficial for us to get that second round in, but I can't look at that now. I just wish we had a chance to get in some more putting and work reading the greens. But we struck the ball really well and our course management was right there. The hard work we did paid off."
On the team's attitude ... "I think this is an awesome group of girls. They are focused and are just having fun out there. We have so much fun together and really enjoy being with each other and that is what it is all about."
Junior Cortney Reno
On the team getting the win ... "It feels really great. It is very reassuring to us to go out and play well and still have the confidence to play well like we did at the end of the fall season. We are just having so much fun right now. Even though it is a tie with BYU, it still feels excellent and still counts as a win."
On the rain stopping play ... "We were ready this morning. We knew we had an advantage after we woke up and saw that it was raining because we play in these type of conditions all the time and the other schools don't. We knew we could take advantage of that because playing in the rain doesn't faze us at all."
On what to take away from the tournament ... "We know that we can play a lot better. We went out and shot a 311 as a team, knowing that we didn't play our best golf. Every tournament we've played in we've just gotten better and better. We are earning other people's respect and our confidence has continued to grow."
Sophomore Kim Benedict
On the team getting the win ... "I just have a big smile on my face. It feels as though we have gotten a big monkey off of our back. We knew we were going to get one this year, it was just only a matter of time before we got it."
On the rainy conditions ... "It's unfortunate that we couldn't get in the final round, but we knew that we had the advantage. We know how to play in the rain and when we got up this morning we knew that we were going to get wet. We knew we could score in this type of weather and that was going to help us. It was just too bad that they had to call it off."
On the team's attitude ... "It is very high right now. We have six people with a lot of confidence. All the work we did this winter kept us going because when we went out there it didn't even seem like we took time off. We hit a lot of balls and work a lot on our short game ... which I know helped me a lot. It just really feels like we didn't go through that lull, which only helps our confidence."
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
