Bauer Wins Lady Northern Intercollegiate

Tuesday, October 11

French Lick, Ind.

8:30 AM

Michigan

Lady Northern Intercollegiate

10/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf

Oct. 11, 2011

• Bauer Feature

Site: French Lick, Ind.
Course: French Lick Resort, Donald Ross Course (par 71, 6,037 yards)
Tournament: Lady Northern Intercollegiate
U-M Standing: 3rd Place of 12 Teams (298-293-302/893)
Top U-M Individual: Meagan Bauer, 1st (72-73-68/213)
Next U-M Event: Sun-Tue., Oct. 16-18 -- at Susie Maxwell Berning Classic (Norman, Okla.)

FRENCH LICK, Ind. -- Senior Meagan Bauer (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) earned her first career medalist honor, shooting an even-par 213 (72-73-68) to win the Lady Northern Intercollegiate on Tuesday (Oct. 11) and helping the University of Michigan women's golf team claim third at the two-day event held on the Donald Ross Course at the French Lick Resort. Michigan finished with an 893 (298-293-302), one shot away from runner-up Ohio State.

Bauer is the 15th Wolverine in program history to claim medalist, and the first since 2009-10 when her sister Ashley (2007-10) won the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational. It is the 26th individual win for the program.

Bauer earned four birdies in each round yesterday (Monday, Oct. 10), shooting 72 (first round) and 73 (second round) to hold second following day one. She collected five more birdies in today's final round, including three straight on holes 14 through 16, to catapult into first with a career-best three-under 68 and win the event by four strokes.

Meanwhile, sophomore Yugene Lee (Athens, Ga./Oconee County HS) and freshman Devon Compton (Rochester Hills, Mich./Stoney Creek HS), who were tied for eighth after 36 holes, each claimed top-20 finishes. Lee tied for 11th after shooting rounds of 77, 71 and 77 for a 225, highlighted by five birdies in the second round, including on each of the final two holes. Compton shot two 74s yesterday, with a pair of birdies on the front nine in both rounds, before carding a 78 today to fall into a tie for 16th.

Rounding out the Wolverines' starting five were freshman Linda Luo (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch HS), who tied for 33rd, and sophomore Alyssa Shimel (Pemberville, Ohio/Eastwood HS), who placed 43rd. Luo's first-round 75 was her best score, before she carded a 78 and 79 to finish at 232. Shimel went 78, 75 and 83 for a 236.

Freshman Lauren Grogan (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson HS), who played as an individual, tied for 23rd with rounds of 79, 76 and 74 (229). She had a trio of birdies both in rounds one and three.

The Wolverines will waste little time getting back to competition as they head to Norman, Okla., for the 2011 Susie Maxwell Berning Classic, Sunday through Tuesday (Oct. 16-18). The 54-hole event, featuring a 17-team field, will be played at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Course.

Final Team Standings

 1. Central Florida    308-290-289 = 887 2. Ohio State         293-290-309 = 892 3. MICHIGAN           298-293-302 = 893 4. Iowa State         299-296-301 = 896 5. Augusta State      297-303-302 = 902 6. Indiana            300-300-316 = 916 7. Illinois           305-311-308 = 924 8. Penn State         312-311-302 = 925    Wisconsin          309-310-306 = 92510. Iowa               307-309-310 = 92611. Nebraska           312-303-316 = 93112. Minnesota          318-310-311 = 939

Top Individuals

 1. MEAGAN BAUER, U-M              72-73-68 = 213 2. Katie Mitchell, UCF            76-70-71 = 217 3. Casey Kennedy, Augusta State   76-71-71 = 218 4. Kristin Paulson, Iowa State    76-73-71 = 220 5. Kendall Prince, Ohio State     73-67-81 = 221 6. Monifa Sealy, UCF              80-70-72 = 222    Prima Thammaraks, Iowa State   73-75-74 = 222 8. Marit Bjerke, Augusta State    72-77-75 = 224    Amy Meier, Ohio State          76-75-73 = 224    Elizabeth Tong, Indiana        71-76-77 = 224

Other Michigan Individuals

T11. Yugene Lee       77-71-77 = 225T16. Devon Compton    74-74-78 = 226T33. Linda Luo        75-78-79 = 232 43. Alyssa Shimel    78-75-83 = 236T23. Lauren Grogan*   79-76-74 = 229  * played as individual

N O T E S

• Michigan has posted three straight top-five finishes to start the fall season -- third at Mary Fossum Invitational, fourth at Bettie Lou Evans Fall Invitational and third at the Lady Northern. It marks the first time a U-M team has accomplished that feat since the 2008-09 season. U-M had three straight top-five finishes in the fall of 2008 -- Windy City Collegiate (third), Lady Northern Invitational (fifth) and the Landfall Tradition (tie-third).

• Meagan Bauer's medalist honor marks the 26th time a U-M player has won an individual title and is the first for a Wolverine since the 2009-10. The last Wolverine to win an individual title was Meagan's sister, Ashley (2007-10), who won the 2010 Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational.

• Meagan Bauer is the 15th different Wolverine in history to win medalist honors at a tournament. Meagan and her sister Ashley become the first sisters to win individual titles in Michigan history.

• Meagan Bauer bettered previous career-best 54-hole total by eight strokes, shooting a 213 compared to the 221 (75-69-77) at the 2010 Challenge at Onion Creek.

• Meagan Bauer's final-round 68 beat her previous career best of one-under 69 in the second round of the 2010 Challenge at Onion Creek.

• Yugene Lee has posted three straight top-25 individual finishes on the season -- medalist runner-up at the Mary Fossum Invitational, tied for 21st at the Bettie Lou Evans Fall Invitational and tied for 11th at the Lady Northern.

• Yugene Lee's second-round even-par 71 is a season-best round. It bettered the round of 73 she posted in the second and third rounds of the Mary Fossum Invitational.

• Linda Luo made her first collegiate start.

• Meagan Bauer, Yugene Lee, Alyssa Shimel and Devon Compton have started all three fall events for the Wolverines.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Cheryl Stacy
On the Lady Northern ... "We really gained a lot of confidence from this weekend. If you look at our last round we really had one good score and we were still right there within six shots. The girls really came away from this with a lot of positives. This golf course is super hilly, very similar to our course (U-M Golf Course). So we have been playing and practicing on a lot of uphill and downhill lies, so they were used to it. However, the putting was really tough. If you missed the green, it was pretty difficult to score well. So, I felt we were prepared for this event and by getting a chance to play it (French Lick) will only help us more in our preparations for Big Tens later in the spring."

On the play of Meagan Bauer ... "I was so happy for her. What made it even more special was her grandmother was here to see it. She just has such a really good attitude towards, well, almost everything. You could really see it at this event. She lost a ball on No. 8 in the final round and had to go back and re-hit, but she came back to finish with a bogey and I think for her that really clinched it. Something just clicked and she rallied, her irons really zoned in after that. I was just so happy for her. I think this was just a huge confidence boost for her."

On the Wolverines' successful start to the fall ... "The plan has always been to get better with each season and we are doing that. We have been just competitive and that has really pushed everyone to step up their games. Combine that with Meagan's (Bauer) leadership, and we have really done well so far."

U-M Senior Meagan Bauer
On the win at the Lady Northern ... "After yesterday's round, I was talking with my family and my dad said 'this is your last year, go out and enjoy every moment of it.' That's what I did today. I just wanted to have fun and I ended up playing well. It is an approach-shot course. You really have to be able to place the ball on the green. I did a pretty good job of that yesterday and today I tried to play smart, but still went for the pins. I really think my years of experience helped me today. You always get a little nervous, but it is exciting at the same time. I just controlled my emotions. I knew I had to play the back nine even or just under and I would be in contention. It just fell into place for me."

On her leading the Wolverines to their recent successes ... "I am not really doing anything. We just have a really great group of girls and everybody's out there to win. Fortunately, the freshmen don't really know or remember some of the struggles we have had the last few years. They have come in here expecting to win and to do well and that is a really good feeling. It is exciting to be in contention for a title each time out. We just need to take that next step to really getting that first win, something I know we are capable of doing."

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423