Weekly Release #11
4/10/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Upcoming Schedule
Sat-Sun., April 14-15 -- at Hawkeye Invitational (Iowa City, Iowa)
Fri-Sun., April 27-29 -- at Big Ten Championships (Falcon Heights, Minn.)
Next on the Tee
The University of Michigan women's golf team will stay in the Midwest as the Wolverines close out the regular tournament schedule with a trip to Iowa City, Iowa, to participate in the Hawkeye Invitational, Saturday and Sunday (April 14-15) at Finkbine Golf Course. In the final tune-up before the Big Ten Championships the 11 teams in the field all hail from the NCAA Central District. Finkbine Golf Course will be set up for a par of 73 and 6,000 yards for the 54-hole tournament.
Invitational Teams
There will be 11 NCAA Central District teams participating in the Hawkeye Invitational: Arkansas-Little Rock, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.
Invitational Schedule
The Hawkeye Invitational will consist of 54 holes, 36 holes played Saturday (April 14) and concluding with a final 18 on Sunday (April 15).
| Friday, April 13 | Practice Round | Tee times throughout the day |
| Saturday, April 14 | First Round | Shotgun start at 9 a.m. CDT |
| | Second Round | Shotgun start at 1 p.m. CDT |
| Sunday, April 15 | Final Round | Shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. CDT |
Scoring Format
Scoring for the Hawkeye Invitational will be five players, count the low four scores each round.
The Michigan Lineup
The Wolverines will carry five players for the Michigan squad at the Hawkeye Invitational. Junior LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) will travel to Iowa City. As for the rest of the squad, sophomore Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS), junior Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North HS), junior Cortney Reno (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS), junior Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) and freshman Sarah Kruer (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla Country Day) will all be battling for the four remaining spots during the week's qualifiers.
Last Year ... Records Fall as U-M Finishes Second in Iowa
The Wolverines could not hold on to their first-day lead at the 2000 Hawkeye Invitational (April 15-16), as the Maize and Blue finished second to host Iowa by just two strokes. Despite the drop in final placing, Michigan's performance was one for the books as school, career and season bests were eclipsed all tournament long. The Wolverines opened up the tournament at Finkbine Golf Course by firing their first-ever tournament round below 300, dating back to records kept since 1986, as the Wolverines shot a 299. They followed that round with a 306 and then a 319 as they finished with a 922 tournament total. Kim Benedict led the charge for the Wolverines as she had her career-best outing, finishing as the tournament's individual runner-up. She shot rounds of 72, 73 and 81 to finish with a 226 total. Misia Lemanski tied for eighth (74-73-83/230); Bess Bowers tied for 11th (73-83-76/232); Amy Talbot (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) tied for 20th (80-78-79/237) and Cortney Reno tied for 35th (84-82-86/252).
Wolverines Finish Sixth at Indiana Invitational
The Wolverines fired a final-round team score of 315 to finish sixth at the Indiana Invitational (April 7-8) at the IU Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind. The Wolverines carded team rounds of 309 and 319 on the first day to finish with a 958 total. LeAnna Wicks led the way for the Wolverines after her two-over-par 76 in the third round moved her up three positions to a tie for 18th. She carded rounds of 79 and 82 on the first day to finish with a 237 tournament total. Bess Bowers made a successful return trip to her hometown as she tied for 23rd after firing rounds of 80-78-82 for a 240 tournament total. Cortney Reno tied for 29th (82-80-79/241), Kim Benedict tied for 32nd (81-81-80/242) and Misia Lemanski made a strong comeback to tie for 55th (87-83-80/250).
Wicks Continues to Light the Course
LeAnna Wicks continues to have a strong junior campaign as she tied a career best with a 72 in the final round at the Hatter Spring Fling (March 17-18). She also recorded a 72 earlier this season in the second round of the Shootout of the Legends (Oct. 9-10). Wicks' Spring Fling total of 150 was also a career-best mark, bettering her previous mark of 162 set last year at the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 9-10, 1999).
She has lowered her stroke average to 77.92, which is six strokes better than her previous best season average of 83.95 as a freshman. In addition to that she shattered her career-best tournament total with a 222 at Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 9-10, 2000), smashing the 232 she fired just one tournament earlier at the Lady Northern (Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2000).
Wolverines Stay in the Top 35
The Wolverines have stayed in the top 35 in the country according to the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings (April 9) as they sit at No. 31 in the nation. Michigan is one of six Big Ten schools in the top 35, joining No. 14 Northwestern, No. 17 Ohio State, No. 20 Purdue, No. 24 Michigan State and No. 35 Indiana. The Central District, which Michigan is part of, leads the way with 14 teams in the top 35. The East District has 11 and the West District is third with 10.
Individuals Stay in Top 150; One In Top 100
The Wolverines have three players ranked in the top 150 in the nation according to the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings (April 9) as Kim Benedict is ranked 97th with a 75.25 rating, Cortney Reno is 128th (75.91) and LeAnna Wicks is 136th (76.05). Arizona's Lorena Ochoa is the No. 1 golfer in the country with a 70.00 rating.
Five Are Still Alive
Five Wolverines are averaging below 80 strokes per round; in fact, three are below the 78-stroke barrier after the five spring tournaments of the season. Cortney Reno leads the team with a 77.71 stroke average, while Kim Benedict and LeAnna Wicks are close behind at 77.92. Bess Bowers is fourth at 78.75 and Sarah Kruer is averaging 79.76. The amazing part of the low averages is that there have been only three golfers school history to hold below an 80 per round average -- Benedict, 79.24 in 1999-2000; Sharon Park (1996-99), 78.42 in 1997-98 and 79.14 in 1996-97 and Wendy Westfall (1994-97), 79.50 in 1996-97.
The Leaders and Best
So far, five different Wolverines have led the Maize and Blue in the 10 tournaments this year. The latest is LeAnna Wicks, who tied for 18th at the Indiana Invitational. Wicks has led twice this year, as she was the top finishing Wolverine at the Midwest Classic (Feb. 23-25), tying for 18th.
Leaders and Best
| Kim Benedict | 2nd* | Fossum Invitational | Sept. 23-24, 2000 |
| | t-12th | Shootout at the Legends | Oct. 9-10, 2000 |
| | 2nd* | Hatter Spring Fling | March 17-18, 2001 |
| | t-19th | San Antonio Shootout | March 25-26, 2001 |
| Cortney Reno | 1st | Wolverine Invitational | Sept. 16-17, 2000 |
| | t-2nd | Lady Aztec Invitational | Feb. 12-13, 2001 |
| | t-19th | San Antonio Shootout | March 25-26, 2001 |
| LeAnna Wicks | t-18th | Midwest Classic | Feb. 23-25, 2001 |
| | t-18th | Indiana Invitational | April 7-8, 2001 |
| Bess Bowers | t-10th | Lady Northern | Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2000 |
| Misia Lemanski | t-8th | Central District Classic | Oct. 23-24, 2000 |
*lost in playoff for first place | |||
Wolverines Get Second Trophy
The team victory at the Hatter Spring Fling (March 17-18) was the Wolverines' second title in their first three spring tournaments. The Wolverines won their first tournament in five years at the Lady Aztec Invitational (Feb. 12-13) at Barona Creek Golf Course in Lakeside, Calif. The Wolverines tied BYU for the Invitational title (311). Before that, the Maize and Blue's last team tournament trophy was at the 1996 Purdue Invitational (April 13-14). The win at the Lady Aztec gives the Wolverines their 11th tournament team title since 1981, six of which have come under coach Kathy Teichert's reign.
Wolverines and the Trophy
| Date | Tournament Titles |
| March 17-18, 2001 | Stetson's Hatter Spring Fling |
| Feb. 12-13, 2001 | Lady Aztec Invitational |
| April 13-14, 1996 | Purdue Invitational |
| March 24-25, 1996 | Saluki Invitational |
| Oct. 6-8, 1995 | Lady Kat Invitational |
| May 1-2, 1994 | Lady Eagle Invitational |
| Sept. 7-8, 1991 | Wolverine Invitational |
| Oct. 20, 1991 | Bowling Green Fall Invitational |
| Sept. 8-9, 1991 | Wolverine Invitational |
| Fall of 1986 | Notre Dame Invitational |
| Fall of 1981 | Wolverine Invitational |
Total Destroys School Mark
The Wolverines' 602 total at the Hatter Spring Fling (March 17-18) destroyed Michigan's team best two-round tournament total mark by 18 strokes. Michigan's previous best was a 620 shot at the James Madison Invitational (Oct. 8-9, 1994).
Lowering the Standards
| 602 | Stetson's Hatter Spring Fling | March 17-18, 2001 |
| 620 | James Madison Invitational | Oct. 8-9, 1994 |
| 622 | Midwest Classic | Feb. 21-22, 1997 |
| 624 | Midwest Classic | Feb. 21-22, 1998 |
| 627 | Notre Dame Invitational | 1986-87 season |
| 630 | Boilermaker Invitational | April 12-13, 1997 |
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
