Michigan
Wolverine Invitational
Minnesotans Lead Wolverines to Second in Own Event
9/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- With clouds and spotty sprinkles changing strategies and course management at the U-M Golf Course, the University of Michigan women's golf team fired a final-round total of 309 Sunday (Sept. 15) to finish its own Wolverine Invitational in second place. The Maize and Blue's 928 (309-310-309) total for 54 holes was 15 strokes behind Indiana, which finished with a new Invitational record of 913 (304-306-303). East Carolina (307-315-319/941) was third.
Indiana's Karen Dennison took home the individual medalist honor with a new Wolverine Invitational record of 219 after rounds of 72, 74 and 73. Hoosier teammate Ambry Bishop (78-74-75/227) was the runner-up, while Eastern Michigan's Heather Nolan (75-74-79/228) placed third.
For the Wolverines, sophomore Laura Olin (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS) and freshman Amy Schmucker (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori HS) led the squad as they tied for fourth. Both Olin and Schmucker fired final rounds of 75 to lead the Wolverines.
Olin had a pair of birdies on the front nine and made the turn at minus-one. Bogeys on No. 10 and 12 followed with a double-bogey on No. 15 after an errant tee shot pushed Olin back over par and she finished with a three-over 75. With her back-to-back 77s on the first day, Olin posted a 229 tournament total.
Schmucker opened her final round with a birdie on No. 1, but a bogey on No. 3 put her back at even par, and a birdie on No. 4 in response was erased by a bogey on No. 5. After three straight pars, she closed out her front nine with a bogey on No. 9. On the back, she opened with a birdie but again followed with a bogey on No. 11. She parred five of the final seven holes, bogeying Nos. 16 and 18, to give her a three-over 75 and 54-hole total of 229 (75-79-75).
Senior Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) tied for eighth after a final-round 79. After shooting 43 (+6) on the front, Benedict parred the next eight holes before closing with a bogey on No. 18. Her 233 tournament total included back-to-back rounds of 77 on the first day.
Other Michigan finishes included: redshirt junior Courtney Goebel (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS), tied for 15th (80-77-83/240); fifth-year season Stephanie Stasik (Lubbock, Texas, Coronado HS), tied for 23rd (82-85-80/247); and junior Sarah Kruer (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla Country Day), tied for 38th (85-83-85/253). Competing as individuals were: freshman Brandi Zielinski (Sylvania, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy), tied for 52nd (89-91-83/263) and freshman Lauren Ham (Flushing, Mich./Flushing HS), tied for 56th (83-91-91/265).
The Maize and Blue will stay in Big Ten Conference country as the Wolverines travel to East Lansing, Mich., Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 21-22) to play in the Mary Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West. The Wolverines were last at Forest Akers during the 2002 NCAA Central Regional in May, when they finished sixth and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time.
Final Team Results
1. Indiana 304-306-303 = 913 (+49)
2. MICHIGAN 309-310-309 = 928
3. East Carolina 307-315-319 = 941
4. Bradley 326-319-327 = 972
5. James Madison 318-319-339 = 976
6. Ohio 330-329-321 = 980
7. Eastern Michigan 324-332-329 = 985
8. Ferris State 325-336-342 = 1003
9. Grand Valley 334-333-338 = 1005
Bowling Green 342-326-337 = 1005
11. Ball State 331-343-340 = 1014
Top Individuals
1. Karen Dennison, Indiana 72-74-73 = 219 (+3) 2. Ambry Bishop, Indiana 78-74-75 = 227 3. Heather Nolan, Eastern Michigan 75-74-79 = 228 4. Laura Olin, U-M 77-77-75 = 229 Amy Schmucker, U-M 75-79-75 = 229 6. Adrienne Millican, East Carolina 75-77-79 = 231 Jessica Krasny, East Carolina 75-77-79 = 231 8. Kim Benedict, U-M 77-77-79 = 233 Jessica Lewis, James Madison 74-75-84 = 233 10. Danah Ford, Indiana 79-75-80 = 234
Other Michigan Scores
T15. Courtney Goebel 80-77-83 = 240 T23. Stephanie Stasik 82-85-80 = 247 T38. Sarah Kruer 85-83-85 = 253 T52. Brandi Zielinski* 89-91-83 = 263 T56. Lauren Ham* 83-91-91 = 265
* competing as individuals
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Kathy Teichert
On the team's performance ... "We had a good tournament. Obviously, we lost a lot of players from last year's team, so it's giving opportunities to some players who want to crack into the lineup. A couple of them did it and I'm really happy to see that. But we also need to get a couple other players shooting lower scores. I'm happy that we were very consistent, and in reality these aren't bad scores for us on this golf course. I think Indiana has a very good team, and they deserve to be recognized for their successful play. I know that some of our players can do better and need to step it up. I'm happy for the players who really played well for us."
On the team's outlook ... "We have to realize that every tournament we play in the fall counts just as much as the spring. While they may put a little more emphasis on the spring, the fall is just as important. These girls should be at the top of their game right now, but I'm still seeing some errors -- mental errors, course management errors -- those are the things we should probably focus on. For us, I think if we're going to be a good team, we need to be more consistent."
Sophomore Laura Olin
On her first round of the season ... "I started out well in the first round, but then I had eight bogeys and one par on the back nine. I was just struggling to get it up and down, especially out of the rough, which is really thick right now. I played really well yesterday afternoon, except for one triple. I played pretty well today -- one under on the front and four over on the back. It was a good first tournament for me. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it is a good steppingstone."
On the team ... "We had a good tournament; we all played pretty well. I do feel that we were a lot more focused last year with what we wanted to accomplish. I think that once we all sit down, go through our goals, figure out what we need to do throughout the season and figure out how we're going to get that done, then we'll be able to really come together. I think we need a couple of girls to really step up and show us what they can do."
Freshman Amy Schmucker
On her first collegiate tournament ... "It was really exciting, and I learned a lot about college golf this weekend. It's surprisingly a lot different from high school golf. After I shot a 75 on the first day, I was thinking that was a great score. In high school, it would have been a phenomenal score, but here that's what we're supposed to be shooting. You really have to gut it out for every shot. I had a lot of fun, and I'm very pleased with my finish. I just wanted to qualify for the next tournament, so I went above and beyond my expectations."
On the team's play ... "I think there's definitely room for improvement. Even looking at my score, I know I could have shaved a few strokes, and I'm sure that's the case with everyone. That's just how the game goes; sometimes the breaks don't go your way. We'll come back shooting low next weekend, and I know we'll continue to improve."
N O T E S
• Indiana set a new Wolverine Invitational 54-hole team record with its 913-team total. The Hoosiers broke their own record of 920 they set at the 1997 tournament. In addition, IU's first-round team total of 304 tied its own Invitational team round record, but they broke that in the third round with a 303 total.
• Indiana now has won three Wolverine Invitational titles, which makes the Hoosiers second all time behind Michigan, who has won four of their host tournaments.
• Indiana's Karen Dennison is the third Hoosier to win a Wolverine Invitational medalist honor. Dennison's 219 tournament total reset the Invitational record for 54-hole individual tournament total. She broke Indiana's Erin Carney's 1997 record of 224. In addition, Dennison's first round total of 72 tied the Invitational record for single round score.
Players Mentioned
