Michigan
Spartan Invitational
U-M Starts Fall with Tie for Fifth at Spartan Invitational
9/13/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Site: East Lansing, Mich.
Tournament: Mary Fossum/Spartan Invitational
U-M Team Finish: Tie-5th of 12 teams (953)
Top U-M Individual: Sharon Park, tie-9th (233)
Next Tournament: Sept. 26-27 -- at Lady Northern Intercollegiate (West Lafayette, Ind.)
EAST LANSING, MICH. -- The University of Michigan women's golf team began the fall portion of its 1998-99 schedule with a fifth-place tie among 12 teams at the Mary Fossum/Spartan Invitational, held Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 12-13) at the par-72 Forest Akers West Golf Course. The Wolverines carded rounds of 315-318-320 for a 953 total, tying Illinois State and Notre Dame. Host team Michigan State won the 54-hole event with an 895 score, followed by Wisconsin (929), Ohio University (945) and Kent State (951).
Michigan was led by senior Sharon Park (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay HS) and sophomore Trish Watkins (Darien, Conn./Darien HS). Park tallied a 233 total to finish tied for ninth place among the 89 competitors while Watkins shot a career-best 235 and tied for 14th.
Also competing for the Wolverines were freshman LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS), who tied for 28th at 242; freshman Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./North HS), who tied for 37th at 245; sophomore Amy Talbot (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS), who tied for 40th at 247; and sophomore Jennifer Baumann (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS), who shot a career-low 79 on the first round and finished with a career best 54-hole total of 250 to tie for 45th.
MSU's Kasey Grant took medalist honors with an 8-over-par 224, while teammate Emily Bastel finished one stroke behind for second place.
Team Results
1. Michigan State 895
2. Wisconsin 929
3. Ohio 945
4. Kent State 951
5. MICHIGAN 953
Illinois State 953
Notre Dame 953
8. Toledo 959
9. Eastern Michigan 970
10. Cincinnati 982
11. Bowling Green State 1016
12. Illinois 1033
13. Grand Valley State 1042
Top Individual Totals
1. Kasey Gant, Michigan State 75-74-75 = 224 2. Emily Bastel, Michigan State 76-76-73 = 225 3. Julee Sovesky, Ohio 77-76-73 = 226 4. Stacy Snider, Michigan State 80-74-73 = 227 5. Jessica Popiel, Toledo 77-72-79 = 228
Michigan Individual Scores
T9. Sharon Park 79-76-78 = 233 T14. Trish Watkins 79-77-79 = 235 T28. LeAnna Wicks 78-82-82 = 242 T37. Bess Bowers 80-83-82 = 245 T40. Amy Talbot 81-85-81 = 247 T45. Jennifer Baumann 79-87-84 = 250
N O T E S
• Michigan finished third among four Big Ten teams, placing behind MSU and Wisconsin while finishing ahead of Illinois.
• The Wolverines take a one week break from tournament action before traveling to Purdue to participate in the Lady Northern Intercollegiate Sept. 25-27. The Lady Northern is a fall precursor to the Big Ten Championships, which will be held at the same golf course in the spring.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Coach Kathy Teichert
"Given the fact that we haven't had much time to prepare -- we began practicing as a team on Monday and school started Tuesday -- I have to say that while I wasn't overly satisfied with our performance, I wasn't disappointed either. We had some definite bright spots to build upon and I know this team will continue to improve. I like the fact that we had four players score in the 70s in the first round and two players finish the tournament with average scores in the 70s. However, we really struggled on par-5 holes and that's a concern and something to work on. But the talent is there, and I'm optimistic that we will get better and better as the season moves along."
Players Mentioned
