Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Head to Iowa for Big Ten Championships
4/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 24, 2003
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- At last week's Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational, Northwestern turned in its best finish of the season, placing fourth among the 12 teams.
Head coach Chris Regenberg knows, however, for her team to contend at this weekend's 22nd Annual Big Ten Women's Golf Championships, they will need to play their best golf of the year.
"We saw some positive signs in Columbus," said Regenberg, "but we need every player to give us their best performance of the year if we're going to be successful this weekend."
Ohio State, last year's Big Ten champion and the winner of last week's Lady Buckeye event, will be one of the favorites along with Purdue.
This is Northwestern's 11th Big Ten tournament. Its best finish came in 2001, when NU finished in a second-place tie with Indiana, 11 strokes behind champion Michigan State. Last year, the Wildcats placed sixth, tying the Hoosiers again.
Besides pursuing their first Big Ten crown, the Wildcats are also trying to extend their string of NCAA postseason appearances to four. But for that to happen, says Regenberg, it may take winning the Big Ten championship to guarantee a bid.
"We certainly have some work to do to get an NCAA bid," says Regenberg. "Winning the Big Ten tournament would lower our worry level a bit."
The Wildcats are ranked 57th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin index. NU's top golfer, senior Elizabeth Burden (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) is ranked 121st in the individual index.
The Big Ten Championships begin Friday at 8 a.m. with 36 holes. The tournament, which continues with 18 holes each on Saturday and Sunday, is being played at the Finkbine Golf Course (Par 73, 6,053 yards). Live Stats will be available the entire weekend by linking to 2003 Big Ten Women's Championships.
