The women's golf team will be back in action Monday and Tuesday when they compete in the Minnesota Invitational. The 14-team tournament returns to the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, previous host site of the 1916 U.S. Open, the 1927 U.S. Amateur, the 1957 Walker Cup, the 1988 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 1998 Curtis Cup.
2014 Minnesota Invitational Field MINNESOTA Location: Minneapolis, Minn. Founded: 1851 Enrollment: 50,883 Nickname: Golden Gophers Conference: Big Ten 2014 Big Ten Finish: 5[SUP]th[/SUP] 2014 NCAA Regional Finish: T-11[SUP]th[/SUP] Letter Winners Returning/Lost: 6/2 Head Coach: Michele Redman (4th season) Associate Head Coach: John Cleary (4th season) CAL STATE FULLERTON Location: Fullerton, Calif. Enrollment: 38,325 Nickname: Titans Conference: Big West Head Coach: Pearl Sinn-Bonanni (6th season) The Lowdown: Cal State Fullerton returns to the Minnesota Invitational after placing eighth last year at the inaugural event. The Titans went on to win the Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate and also finished 7th at the Big West Conference meet. Senior Tisha Alyn Abrea led the team at last year’s Minnesota Invitational and has played in every tournament since arriving on campus (27 total). Top returning player: Martina Edberg (sophomore)...Big West Women’s Golf Freshman of the Year and an All-Big West Conference First Team selection...became the first-ever Titans player to win the Big West Conference title in 2013-14. PURDUE Location: West Lafayette, Ind. Enrollment: 39,637 Nickname: Boilermakers Conference: Big Ten Head Coach: Devon Brouse (17th season) The Lowdown: The Boilermakers make their first visit to the Minikahda Club in 2014 after finishing eighth at the Big Ten meet last season. Purdue went on to win the Butler Fall Invitational last October. The Boilermakers posted eight-straight NCAA Top-10 finishes from 2006-13 including a national championship in 2010. Top returning player: Aurora Kan (senior)...First Team All-Big Ten honoree...led the Boilermakers in all 12 events last year and picked up individual titles at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, the Butler Fall Invitational and the Purdue Rainy Day Shootout. EAST CAROLINA Location: Greenville, N.C. Enrollment: 27,000 Nickname: Pirates Conference: AAC Head Coach: Kevin Williams (18th season) The Lowdown: East Carolina heads into the 2014-15 season with a string of seven-straight NCAA regional berths dating back to 2008. The Pirates return a pair of all-conference honorees from last year’s team while the program finished sixth at the C-USA Championships. East Carolina will compete in the American Athletic Conference this year. Top returning player: Frida Gustafsson Spang (junior)...two-time First Team All-Conference USA honoree...owns school career scoring average (73.55) and season average (73.50)...first golfer in C-USA history to earn Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season. SMU Location: Dallas, Texas Enrollment: 10,893 Nickname: Mustangs Conference: AAC Head Coach: Jeanne Sutherland (4th season) The Lowdown: SMU finished third at last year’s AAC Championship and tied for 17th at the NCAA Central Regional. The Mustangs return seven letter winners from last season including four of five scorers from the NCAA regional. Top returning player: Jenny Haglund (junior)...won the individual title at the 2014 AAC Championship and was an all-conference honoree...played in all 11 tournaments last year and posted four top-10 finishes GRU AUGUSTA Location: Augusta, Ga. Enrollment: 9,557 Nickname: Jaguars Conference: Peach Belt Head Coach: Kory Thompson (4th year) The Lowdown: The Jaguars return to the Minikahda Club for the second year in a row after tying for fourth at last year’s inaugural event -- one of eight top-five finishes for the program in 2013-14. The team went on to win the Rebel Intercollegiate to end the regular season and earned a berth to the NCAA regional for the third time under Kory Thompson. Top returning player: Jessica Haigwood (sophomore)...named the Female Freshman of the year last year for GRU Augusta Athletics...won the individual title at the Rebel Intercollegiate...posted five top-10 finishes as a freshman. TEXAS STATE Location: San Marcos, Texas Enrollment: 35,568 Nickname: Bobcats Conference: Sun Belt Head Coach: Mike Akers (9th season) The Lowdown: Texas State is coming off its third-straight trip to the NCAA regionals and its fourth trip in the last five years. The Bobcats finished second at last year’s Sun Belt Conference Championship and 13th at the NCAA East Regional with the program returning all five scorers from its 2014 regional squad. Texas State finished sixth at the Minnesota Invitational last season. Top returning player: Lejan Lewthwaite (senior)...competed in all 11 tournaments last season including the NCAA East Regional...led Texas State at last year’s Minnesota Invitational, tying for fourth. ILLINOIS Location: Champaign, Ill. Enrollment: 42,606 Nickname: Illini Conference: Big Ten Head Coach: Renee Slone (9th season) The Lowdown: Illinois returns to the Minnesota Invitational after finishing one-stroke back from Kent State for the team title at the inaugural event one year ago. Less than a month later, the Illini took the team title at the Diane Thomason Invitational. The program closed out the season with a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten meet and sent two individuals on to NCAA play. Top returning player: Stephanie Miller (sophomore)...Illinois’ top returner from last season and an NCAA regional qualifier...finished second at the Minnesota Invitational last year and followed up the performance with an individual title at the Diane Thomason Invitational...led the team in four tournaments. KENT STATE Location: Kent, Ohio Enrollment: 28,602 Nickname: Golden Flashes Conference: Mid-American Director of Golf: Herb Page (38th season) Head Coach: Greg Robertson (2nd season) The Lowdown: A perennial force in the Mid-American Conference, Kent State captured its 16th-straight conference title in 2014. The Golden Flashes also return as the defending individual and team champions at the Minnesota Invitational, having won the inaugural event in 2013. Kent State won a program-record five tournaments last year and missed the NCAA Championships by one stroke. Top returning player: Jennifer Ha (senior)...Ha won the inaugural Minnesota Invitational with a one-under-par 215 last season...two-time defending MAC Golfer of the Year and MAC Championship Medalist...three-time First Team All-MAC honoree...has five career wins. NEBRASKA Location: Lincoln, Neb. Enrollment: 24,593 Nickname: Cornhuskers Conference: Big Ten Head Coach: Robin Krapfl (28th season) The Lowdown: Nebraska finished 10th at the Big Ten Championships last year and return to the Minnesota Invitational after placing seventh as a program in last year’s inaugural tournament. The Cornhuskers went on to top Minnesota and Kent State at the Mountain View Collegiate, winning the team crown at the March tournament in Arizona. Top returning player: Cassie Deeg (junior)...A native of Hugo, Minn., and the 2014 Minnesota State Amateur champion ...led the Huskers with a 76.16 stroke average last year and holds the school’s second lowest career average at 76.94...Minnesota Junior Player of the Year and state Class 4AAA champion (2011). COLORADO Location: Boulder, Colo. Enrollment: 31,702 Nickname: Buffaloes Conference: Pac-12 Head Coach: Anne Kelly (19th season) The Lowdown: Colorado makes its first trip to Minnesota for the Minnesota Invitational after opening up at the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic last week in Fort Collins, Colo. The Buffaloes finished 16th at the NCAA Central Regional last season and 11th at the Pac-12 Women’s Golf Championships. Top returning player: Jamie Oleksiew (junior)... Colorado’s top returner from last year’s squad carried a 77.42 scoring average as a sophomore and her 77.24 career average is the 10th lowest in program history...posted a pair of top-20 finishes last year. KANSAS Location: Lawrence, Kan. Enrollment: 27,784 Nickname: Jayhawks Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Erin O’Neil (11th season) The Lowdown: Kansas earned an at-large berth to the NCAA regional round last year and advanced to the NCAA Championships for just the second time in program history (first since 1990). The Jayhawks won a pair of tournaments last season and finished in the top 10 in 13 of 14 tournaments. The program finished fourth at the Big 12 meet - it’s best finish since 1992. Top returning player: Yupaporn Kawinpakorn (junior)...set a new Kansas single-season scoring average record at 74.46 last year...also an All-Big 12 selection and a two-time Big 12 All-Tournament team honoree. FRESNO STATE Location: Fresno, Calif. Enrollment: 23,060 Nickname: Bulldogs Conference: Mountain West Head Coach: Emily Milberger (2nd season) The Lowdown: Emily Millberger’s second season at Fresno State also opens up with the Bulldogs playing in Fort Collins before heading to the Minikahda Club. Fresno State is coming off a win at the Fresno State Classic last season while the team tied for third at the Mountain West Conference Championship. Top returning player: Guðrún Brá Björgvinsdóttir (sophomore)...joined the program in January 2014 and went on to become the third Bulldog in school history to win the Mountain West Conference title...a Mountain West All-Conference Second Team honoree. TEXAS Location: Austin, Texas Enrollment: 38,463 Nickname: Longhorns Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Ryan Murphy (1st season) The Lowdown: Ryan Murphy enters his first season as head coach of the Longhorns women’s program after six seasons as an assistant coach for the Texas men’s team. During that span he helped lead the men’s team to the 2012 NCAA national championship. Texas finished second at the Big 12 meet last season and went on to finish 19th at the NCAA Central Regional. Top returning player: Bertine Strauss (senior)...led Texas with a 74.17 stroke average last year...a 2014 All-Big 12 Women’s Golf Team honoree...Texas’ low player in six events. |
