Weekly Release #10

Upcoming Schedule
Sat-Sun., April 5-6 -- at Indiana Invitational (Bloomington, Ind.)
Sat-Sun., April 12-13 -- at Lady Boilermaker Invitational (West Lafayette, Ind.)

Next on the Tee: Indiana Invitational
The University of Michigan women's golf team will head to Big Ten country over the next two weeks as the Wolverines close out the spring season with tournament trips to Indiana and Purdue. Up first for the Maize and Blue will be a trip to Bloomington, Ind., and the 2003 Indiana Invitational, Saturday and Sunday (April 5-6) at the IU Golf Course. The Wolverines will be looking to defend their 2002 crown as the 54-hole tournament will feature 11 teams, including five conference opponents, playing 36 holes on Saturday and a final 18 on Sunday. The IU Golf Course will be set up for a par of 74 and 6,134 yards.

The Indiana Invitational Field
The Indiana Invitational features 11 teams: Arkansas-Little Rock, Illinois State, Indiana, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Notre Dame, Purdue and Wisconsin.

The Indiana Invitational Schedule
The Indiana Invitational will consist of 54 holes, 36 holes being played Saturday (April 5) and finishing with a final 18 Sunday (April 6).

Friday, April 4	Practice Round	Tee times throughout the day
Saturday, April 5	First Round	8 a.m. (shotgun)
	Second Round	Noon (shotgun)
Sunday, April 6	Final Round	8:30 a.m. (shotgun)

The Indiana Invitational Scoring Format
Scoring for the Indiana Invitational will be six players, count the low four scores each round. Teams will be allowed one individual player.
 
The Michigan Lineup at the Indiana Invitational
The Wolverines will carry six players for the Michigan squad at the Indiana Invitational. Senior Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS), sophomore Laura Olin (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS) and freshman Amy Schmucker (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori HS) will head up the list. The remaining three spots will be determined during the weekly qualifier. Fifth-year senior Stephanie Stasik (Lubbock, Texas/Coronado HS), junior/sophomore Courtney Goebel (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS), junior Sarah Kruer (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla Country Day), freshman Brandi Zielinski (Sylvania, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) and freshman Kelly Easton (Port Huron, Mich./Northern HS) all are battling for the remaining spots.

Last Year at the Indiana Invitational: Benedict Helps U-M Rally from 10 Strokes Back
After sitting in third place after the first day of play, the Wolverines charged back in the final round of the 2002 Indiana Invitational (April 6-7, 2002) at the IU Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind., shooting a five-over-par 301 to overcome a 10-stroke deficit and win their fifth tournament title of the season. The Wolverines ended up with a 919 total (312-306-301) to finish two shots ahead of host Indiana (303-305-313/921), the first-day leader. The Wolverines were a little off the pace in the first round as they tallied a team total of 312 behind Kim Benedict's 76 on the par-74 course, but U-M dropped six strokes in the second round with a 306 team total, led by Benedict's 75 and Misia Lemanski's (1999-2002) 76, to put the Maize and Blue third overall after the first day of play. Benedict led the way in the final round with an even-par round of 74 and LeAnna Wicks (1999-2002) and Cortney Reno (1999-2002) followed with one-over 75s to fuel the Maize and Blue comeback. In addition to Benedict's runner-up finish (76-75-74/225), Wicks also finished in the top 10 as she tied for 10th (79-77-75/231). Bess Bowers (1999-2002) tied for 15th (78-78-77/233), Lemanski tied for 20th (79-76-80/235), Reno tied for 23rd (83-79-75/237) and Laura Olin, who battled the flu most of the tournament, tied for 26th (80-78-81/239).

Last Time on the Links: Wolverines Finish Sixth at Prestigious Texas Tournament
The Wolverines used a final-round 317 to jump one position to sixth and finish in the top half of the prestigious field at the Betsy Rawls/Longhorn Invitational at The Hills Country Club in Lakeway, Texas, with a 959 total in the three-day (March 23-25), 54-hole tournament. The Maize and Blue shot 317 in the opening round and 325 in the second round. Kim Benedict made it back-to-back tournaments leading the Wolverines as she tied for 11th with a 231 54-hole total. Benedict carded a three-over 75 in the first round after a pair of birdies helped a few miscues during the round. She then followed with a five-over 77, with three birdies, and a final-round 79, again with three birdies, to help her garner her fourth top-20 finish of the season. Laura Olin opened with rounds of 81 and 80 but found her groove in the final round, firing a four-over 76 which included three birdies to finish with a 237 54-hole total and a tie for 20th place, her seventh top-20 finish this season. Amy Schmucker tied for 33rd with a 245 total (79-86-80), Stephanie Stasik tied for 51st (82-85-88/255), and Courtney Goebel tied for 59th (92-83-82/257). Brandi Zielinski competed as an individual and was 65th (84-96-85/265).

Michigan's New One-Two Punch Heating Up
Kim Benedict and Laura Olin were part of a three-way punch last season, along with former Wolverine Misia Lemanski (1999-2002), and this year Benedict and Olin have become a one-two punch for the Maize and Blue. In nine tournaments this season, either Olin (six) or Benedict (three) has been the Wolverines' top finisher. Benedict has reclaimed the team lead in scoring average by just .15, as she is averaging 77.42 to Olin's 77.57. Both are averaging almost two full strokes ahead of the next closest Wolverine, Amy Schmucker (77.19).

More on the Duo
Kim Benedict played in her 46th consecutive tournament for the Wolverines at the Betsy Rawls/Longhorn Invitational (March 24-26). This season, she has recorded three top-10 finishes -- fifth at the Lady Northern (Sept. 28-29), tied for fifth at the Anteater Invitational and tied for eighth at the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 14-15). She had a season-best 223 total at the Lady Northern. Laura Olin extended her streak to 22 straight tournaments for the Wolverines. She has two top-10 finishes this season, tying for fourth at the Wolverine Invitational and tying for ninth at the Women's Collegiate Shootout (Oct. 7-8).

Coming On Strong
The Wolverines are averaging 316.6 as a team during the first round of tournaments this season. But they dramatically improve in the second and third rounds, as they are averaging 309.3 as a team in the second round and 311.1 in the third round. For 54-hole tournaments this season they have been averaging 931.0 with a 312.42 per round average.

Getting Ready to Make Their Move
The Wolverines' third-place finish at the UC Irvine Anteater Invitational (March 10-11) was the second best showing on the season and third top-five finish of the 2002-03. Michigan finished second in the first tournament of the season, the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 14-15). The Maize and Blue's other top-five finish was a fourth-place showing at the Lady Northern Invitational (Sept. 28-29).

Lineup Says Cohesive
Michigan has four players who have seen action in all nine tournaments this season -- Kim Benedict, Laura Olin, Amy Schmucker and Stephanie Stasik.

Maize and Blue Continues to Improve
Michigan's 908 Women's Collegiate Shootout (Oct. 7-8) total lowered the season-best 54-hole total by two strokes, bettering the 910 tallied at the Lady Northern (Sept. 28-29). Michigan's second-round team total of 299 marked a season best, topping the 300 in the second round at the Lady Northern. The 299 is the 21st time in school history the Maize and Blue has scored under 300. The Wolverines are averaging 312.42 per team round.

Benedict Hits Marks in California
Kim Benedict's second-round, two-under 70 at the UC Irvine Anteater Invitational (March 10-11) was her season-best round by two strokes. She topped the even-par 72 she had in the second round of the Central District (Feb. 24-25). The round is also her sixth career round under par. Benedict's 224 54-hole total was her second best total of the season, just a single stroke off her season-best 223 carded at the Lady Northern Invitational (Sept. 28-29), where she also finished fifth to lead the Wolverines.

Schmucker Making Most of First Season
Amy Schmucker has made the most of her first nine collegiate tournaments, as she is third on the team with a 79.19 scoring average.  She had a career-best 229 total in her first collegiate tournament at the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 14-15), where she posted her career-best finish with a tie for fourth. She recorded a career-best single-round score of 74 in the final round of the Women's Collegiate Shootout (Oct. 7-8).

Stasik Continues to Strike
Stephanie Stasik has played in all nine tournaments this season and is fourth on the team in scoring average with an 80.64 per round mark. She had a season-best tie for 15th at the Wolverine Invitational and had a season-best 54-hole tournament score of 233 at the Fossum Invitational (Sept. 21-22). She has had 10 of her 26 rounds below the 80-stroke barrier, with a season-best 74 in the second round of the Women's Collegiate Shootout.

Goebel Ties Season-Best Mark in Home State
Courtney Goebel's second-round, five-over 77 at the UC Irvine Anteater Invitational (March 10-11) tied her season-best score, and it marked the second time in her career she has fired a round below the 80-stroke barrier. She also shot 77 in the second round of the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 14-15). She has competed in five tournaments this season and is averaging 82.61 per round.

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423