Michigan
Lady Seahawk Invitational
U-M Moves Up to Fourth at Lady Seahawk Invitational
3/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
WALLACE, N.C. -- Despite an hour rain delay in the final round, the University of Michigan women's golf team shot 305 on the rain-soaked course Tuesday (March 26) to move up one position and finish fourth at the Lady Seahawk Invitational at River Landing Country Club.
Paced by first-day leader Kim Benedict's (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) one-over-par 73 in the first round and one-under-par 71 in the second round, the Wolverines opened the tournament Monday (March 25) with team rounds of 302 and 304 to sit in the fifth position.
The rains then came at the start of the second round and play was halted for an hour due to heavy downpours and lightning. Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) carded a one-under-par 71 in the final round and the Wolverines totaled 305 to finish fourth with a 911 tournament total.
Two Wolverines placed in the top 10 as Benedict tied for seventh (73-71-80/224) and Lemanski tied for ninth (78-77-71/226). Paced by her 75 in the final round, Laura Olin (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS) tied for 28th (77-79-75/231). LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) tied for 31st (76-77-79/232) and Cortney Reno (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) tied for 49th (76-79-80/235).
North Carolina State (300-299-305/904) won its third straight tournament of the spring, defeating Florida State (298-304-302/904) in a playoff. Indiana (305-300-302/907) was third. Penn State's Katie Futcher (71-76-71/218) and Maryland's Erin Clasper (71-74-73/218) were declared co-medalists due to travel requirements.
The Wolverines return to Big Ten country when they head to Bloomington, Ind., Saturday and Sunday (April 6-7) to compete in the Indiana Invitational at the IU Golf Course. Michigan, which finished sixth out of the 15 teams last year, will be making its sixth straight appearance at the Indiana Invitational.
Team Standings
1. North Carolina State 300-299-305 = 904* 2. Florida State 298-304-302 = 904 3. Indiana 305-300-302 = 907 4. MICHIGAN 302-304-305 = 911 5. College of Charleston 303-313-300 = 916 6. UNC-Greensboro 304-306-307 = 917 7. Louisville 299-303-319 = 921 8. Penn State 308-312-308 = 928 9. Coastal Carolina 315-310-305 = 930 10. James Madison 306-313-313 = 932 11. UNC-Wilmington 313-307-314 = 934 12. Maryland 311-318-307 = 936 13. Elon 320-315-305 = 940 14. Georgia State 311-310-320 = 941 15. Campbell 307-321-321 = 949 16. Charleston Southern 316-326-314 = 956 17. William & Mary 317-324-323 = 964 18. Augusta State 325-338-322 = 985 * playoff winnerTop Individuals
1. Katie Futcher, Penn State 71-76-71 = 218* Erin Clasper, Maryland 71-74-73 = 218* 3. Laura Orlen, Elon 74-74-71 = 219 Tiffany Fisher, Indiana 73-73-73 = 219 5. Kristin Tamulis, Florida State 72-76-72 = 220 6. Cindy Pasechnik, Louisville 72-75-76 = 223 7. KIM BENEDICT, U-M 73-71-80 = 224 Sarah Bonner, N.C. State 76-76-72 = 224 9. MISIA LEMANSKI, U-M 78-77-71 = 226 Kerri Dennison, Indiana 78-72-76 = 226 Malin Claesson, N.C. State 74-73-79 = 226 Colby Cobb, N.C. State 77-73-76 = 226 * co-medalistsOther Michigan Scores
T28. Laura Olin 77-79-75 = 231 T31. LeAnna Wicks 76-77-79 = 232 T49. Cortney Reno 76-79-80 = 235
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Kathy Teichert
On the team's expectations ... "We made mistakes yesterday and we made some more today. It is disappointing. Take away the doubles and the triples and we could be right in it. We just did not finish well. We are just never going to win with doubles and triples. We have been taking our competition too lightly. We need to get out and play. We need to get out and hit those shots and get them close to the green, then put them on the green and then make the putt. That is how you get your focus. We can get out of this. We just need to get out and play."
Junior Kim Benedict
On the tournament ... "We are all disappointed. I think our focus is off. We are not being as competitive as we were in the fall. Why is this I think it is a combination of stuff. We haven't played very smart. We haven't focused down the stretch. It can be an individual thing, but we need to rely on our teammates and we just aren't doing that right now. We can't lose focus on one shot because that leads to a double or a triple and then the round could be finished. We need to just get back and compete each and every time we hit the ball."
Senior LeAnna Wicks
On the team ... "We are struggling. We are frustrated with our games. We are simply not taking what we do in practice into competition. We make our putts, our shots and our short game all the time at practice. But then we do not take those successes into the tournament. We need to get into more competitive situations, more pressure situations. We need to be more dedicated to what we are doing. We need to bring our games to tournaments. We need to get outside and practice. I don't care how cold it is. The disadvantage of being in the cold is really showing."
N O T E S
With eight tournaments under their belts, the Wolverines have not finished lower than fourth in the 2001-02 season. Michigan won all four fall tournaments in which they competed and have posted a runner-up finish and three fourth-place efforts this spring.
With her second straight tie for seventh individually, Kim Benedict has finished in the top 10 in seven of eight tournaments this year. For her career, she has finished in the top 10 in 16 of 29 regular-season tournaments.
The Wolverines used the same lineup for the eighth consecutive tournament at the Lady Seahawk Invitational (March 25-26) -- Kim Benedict, LeAnna Wicks, Cortney Reno, Misia Lemanski and Laura Olin. The five-member group is averaging 303.04 strokes per round as a team.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
