Weekly Release #2

Upcoming Schedule
Sat-Sun., Sept. 27-28 -- at Lady Northern Intercollegiate (Columbus, Ohio)
Sat-Sun., Oct. 4-5 -- host Wolverine Invitational (U-M Golf Course)

Next on the Tee: The Lady Northern Intercollegiate
In what will be a true 2004 Big Ten Conference Championship preview with all 11 schools present, the University of Michigan women's golf team will head to Columbus, Ohio, to participate in the 2003 Lady Northern Intercollegiate, Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 27-28) at Ohio State's Scarlet Golf Course. In addition to all 11 conference schools, Kent State, Oklahoma and Texas will join the field for the 54-hole tournament, which begins Saturday (Sept. 27) with 36 holes and concludes Sunday (Sept. 28) with a final 18. The Scarlet Course will be set up for a par of 72 and 6,037 yards.
 
The Tournament Field
The Lady Northern Intercollegiate features 14 teams and will include: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Purdue, Texas and Wisconsin.

The Tournament Schedule
The Lady Northern Intercollegiate will consist of 54 holes, 36 of which will be played on Saturday (Sept. 27) followed by 18 on Sunday (Sept. 28).

Friday, Sept. 26	Practice Round	Tee times throughout the day
Saturday, Sept. 27	First Round	8:30 a.m. (shotgun)
	Second Round	15 minutes following first round (shotgun)
Sunday, Sept. 28	Final Round	8:30 a.m. (shotgun)

The Tournament Scoring Format
Scoring for the Lady Northern Intercollegiate will be five players, count the low four scores each round.

The Michigan Lineup at the Lady Northern Intercollegiate
The Wolverines will carry five players and one individual for the Michigan squad at the Lady Northern Intercollegiate. With team qualifying continuing right up until the Lady Northern, pacing their way to the starting five could be junior Laura Olin (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS), sophomore Amy Schmucker (Cold Springs, Minn./Rocori HS), senior/junior Courtney Goebel (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS), senior Sarah Kruer (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla Country Day), freshman Brianna Broderick (Richmond, Mo./Richmond HS), freshman Ali Stinson (Penticton, B.C./Penticton Secondary), sophomore Kelly Easton (Port Huron, Mich./Northern HS), redshirt freshman Molly Spalding (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS) and Brandi Zielinski (Sylvania, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy).

Last Time at the Scarlet Course: U-M Finishes Fifth in Shortened Lady Buckeye
The last time Michigan played at the Scarlet Course was during the 1995-96 season when the Wolverines played in the 1996 Lady Buckeye Invitational (April 6-7). Michigan finished fifth among the 15-team field with a 674 36-hole total after rounds of 335 and 339. The tournament was reduced by 18 holes due to snow and cold conditions which caused the cancellation of the final round. Former Wolverines Sharon Park and Shannon McDonald led the charge with top-20 finishes. Park tied for 14th (85-80/165), while McDonald tied for 18th (79-87/166).

Last Time on the Links: U-M Ties for Sixth at Mary Fossum Invitational
The Wolverines opened the 2003-04 season with a tie for sixth place after a 941 54-hole team total at the 2003 Mary Fossum Invitational (Sept. 20-21) at Forest Akers West in East Lansing, Mich. The Wolverines opened with a 313 team total and followed with back-to-back 314s to tie Notre Dame (314-311-316) for the sixth position. Freshman Brianna Broderick led the Wolverines in her first collegiate tournament, tying for 21st with a 234 total (81-79-74). Laura Olin was right behind Broderick, tying for 24th (75-82-78/235), and Amy Schmucker tied for 26th (77-77-82/236). Ali Stinson tied for 31st (80-76-81/237), Sarah Kruer tied for 49th (81-82-81/244), and Courtney Goebel, competing as an individual, tied for 64th (81-83-84/248).

Early Big Ten Test
When Michigan heads to Columbus and the Lady Northern the Wolverines will get their biggest intra-conference test of the regular season with all 11 Big Ten teams playing in the 54-hole tournament. At last year's championships at Iowa's Finkbine Golf Course (April 25-27), the competition was so close that only 12 strokes separated third through 11th. Michigan finished sixth with a 1,235 total.

Making an Impressive Debut
Freshmen Brianna Broderick and Ali Stinson both made their collegiate debuts at the Mary Fossum Invitational. Broderick tied for 21st, leading the Wolverine squad with a 234 total (81-79-74), while Stinson tied for 31st with a 237 total (80-76-81).

Streaks Continue to Grow
Laura Olin extended her consecutive tournament streak to 26 by playing at the Mary Fossum Invitational. She has not missed a tournament in her three seasons. Amy Schmucker also added to her streak as she sits at 14 straight tournaments. Former Wolverine Kim Benedict has the U-M record, playing in all 49 tournaments during her four-year career.

Kruer Earns Prestigious Award
Sarah Kruer was named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team after her outstanding efforts in the classroom and on the course. She was just one of 297 collegiate golfers to be recognized for the prestigious honor. Kruer, who is enrolled in the U-M Business School, is just the sixth Wolverine selected for the national honor, joining Tegan McCorkel (1993-94) and Tiffany McCorkel (1994) in 1994, Trish Watkins (1998-2001) in 1999, and Amy Talbot (1998-2001) and Bess Bowers (1999-2002) in 2000. In addition to the national honor, Kruer earned her second Academic All-Big Ten selection and third U-M Women's Golf Academic Achievement Award in 2003.

What Did I Do This Summer Play in the U.S. Women's Amateur
Amy Schmucker highlighted her summer competition schedule by qualifying for the 103rd U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at the par-71, 6,368-yard Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne, Pa. After firing back-to-back rounds of 76, she advanced to the match-play field of 64. Schmucker's 152 total was good for an 11-way tie for 49th place in the stroke play portion of the event. Seeded 59th in the match-play bracket, she faced No. 6 seed Paula Creamer but fell 6 & 4. Schmucker qualified for her first U.S. Women's Amateur by shooting 70 and winning her sectional qualifier July 7 at Olympic Hills Golf Club in Eden Prairie, Minn. She was the medalist by five strokes at the site.

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423