Badgers Ready to Compete at Big Ten Championships
April 26, 2007 | Women's Golf
The University of Wisconsin women's golf team heads to East Lansing, Mich. this weekend to compete in the Big Ten championships at the par-72, 6,237-yard Forest Akers West Golf Course. Competing for the Badgers will be senior Jill Ries (Middleton, Wis.), junior Katie Elliott (Madison, Wis.), sophomores Isabel Alvarez (Gijon, Spain) and Jeana Dahl (Fargo, N.D.) and freshmen Heather Herrick (Hartland, Wis.) and Kelsey Verbeten (Green Bay, Wis.).
At last year's Big Ten championships, the team finished in ninth place on the Indiana University Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind. The Badgers ended the tournament at 1,252, the fifth-best 72-hole team score in school history. UW finished six shots ahead of 10th-place Illinois. Purdue claimed the title (1,179). UW's only conference title came in 1994.
Four of the six Badger golfers competing this weekend have Big Ten championship experience. Elliott will be making her third appearance. Last year she led the way for Wisconsin with a 22nd-place tie, her best career finish at the Big Ten Championships. Elliott shot an 82 on Sunday to close out the weekend at 307. In 2005, she finished tied for 28th. Ries, who did not compete at last year's tournament, will also be making her third career appearance. In 2005, she took 47th with a 54-hole score of 251 and in 2004 she placed 36th with a 72-hole score of 321. Making their second career appearances will be Alvarez, who finished 47th at last year's event by shooting a 318, and Dahl who took 57th by recording a 325 last year.
On the season, Elliott leads the team in scoring average with a 74.94 for 31 rounds of play. Her top finish of the year came at the season-opening Badger Invitational where she took home the individual championship. She is also ranked 133rd among collegiate women golfers. At the Legends of Indiana tournament this fall, Elliott set new personal bests for 18-, 36- and 54-hole scores by shooting a 218 (75-69-74).
Second on the team in scoring average is Dahl. For 31 rounds, she has an average of 77.68. Her best finish of the season came at the Legends of Indiana where she placed eighth. She also set new career-lows for 18-, 36- and 54-holes there by shooting a 219 (75-73-71).
Verbeten is third on the team with a scoring average of 79.13 for 31 rounds. The freshman has competed in every event so far this year, with her best showing coming at the Badger Invitational where she finished in a tie for 32nd. Her top scores of the year came at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic where she established her career-lows for 18-, 36- and 54-holes by shooting a 227 (75-77-75).
Ranking fourth on the team in scoring average is Alvarez with a 79.23 for 31 rounds. At this year's Susie Maxwell Berning Classic, she tied the school record for 18-holes by firing a 66 during the second round. The round was part of a tournament that saw her set new personal lows for 18-, 36- and 54- hole scores with a 224 (79-66-79). Her best finish of the year came at Badger Invitational where she placed 15th.
Ries, the team's lone senior, is ranked fifth in scoring average with a 79.48 for 31 rounds. Her best finish of the year came at the Legends of Indiana where she tied for 26th. This season, she has set new personal lows for 36- and 54-holes. Both came at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic where she shot a 226 (74-74-78).
Rounding out the UW competitors is Herrick. She is seventh on the team with an average of 83 for 13 rounds. The best finish of her career was at the Badger Invitational where she took 52nd. Her best rounds came at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic where she shot a 244 (75-83-86).
All 11 Big Ten teams will be competing this weekend and all 11 are currently within the top 119 in the latest poll released by Golfweek. Purdue enters as the top ranked team at number eight. Michigan State (22), Ohio State (32), Northwestern (34), Michigan (41), Indiana (54), Iowa (76) and Wisconsin (92) are all ranked in the top 100, while Illinois (105), Penn State (106) and Minnesota (119) round out the field.
Individually, five golfers competing are ranked in the top 100 by Golfweek. Dana Je of Ohio State is ranked 73rd, while Maria Hernandez (7), Christina Boeljon (31), Stefanie Endstrasser (68) and Myrte Eikenaar (97) all hail from Purdue.
The Big Ten championships will be a 72-hole tournament. The field will play 36 holes on Friday, and 18 on both Saturday and Sunday. Fans can follow live stats by going to GolfStat.com.
