Northwestern University Athletics
#B1GCats Take Aim At National Championship Beginning Friday
5/18/2016 10:40:00 PM | Women's Golf
EUGENE, Ore. – No. 7 Northwestern tees off Friday in pursuit of a national title at the 2016 NCAA Women's Golf Championships, hosted by Eugene Country Club and the University of Oregon.
2016 NCAA Golf Championships – LIVE Leaderboard
Eugene Country Club – Course Flyover & Map
2016 Northwestern Women's Golf Statistics
Northwestern Women's Golf Record Book
The 'Cats are playing as well as any team in the country at the right time, coming off their second-straight Big Ten Championship and a win at the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional.
This season marks the Wildcats fourth straight appearance in college golf's premier event. Northwestern earned a program-best 10th-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
Big Ten Coach of the Year Emily Fletcher and assistant coach Beth Miller return three Wildcats from the 2015 squad, and has added a pair of talented freshmen to the mix for this year's competition.
Northwestern 2016 NCAA Golf Championships Lineup
KACIE KOMOTO – JR – Honolulu, Hawaii
The ranking veteran of the Wildcats this weekend, Komoto finished fourth at the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional in Alabama, her team-best sixth Top-10 finish of the season. The junior owns two of the Top-9 single-season scoring averages in Northwestern history, including No. 3 this season, and the second-lowest career stroke average (73.97) in program history.
SARAH CHO – SO – San Diego, Calif.
Cho earned her fourth Top-10 finish of the campaign with a ninth-place result at the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional. The sophomore won the 2015 Big Ten Individual Championship and started her sophomore season by winning the 2015 Dick McGuire Invite with what was, at the time, the third-best 54-hole score in Wildcats history.
HANNAH KIM – SO – Chula Vista, Calif.
In just two years Kim has put together one of the most accomplished resumes in program history, winning back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year honors in her first two seasons in Evanston. Her 2015-16 stroke average currently ranks as the best single-season scoring mark in program history, as does her career scoring average. The sophomore broke the Wildcats 54-hole scoring record in winning the 2016 Hurricane Invitational, shaving seven strokes off the previous mark with a 199.
STEPHANIE LAU – FR – Fullerton, Calif.
Lau wasted no time making an impression in college golf, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors from the Conference last month. She currently owns the second-best single-season stroke average in Wildcats history, and leads Northwestern in rounds at par-or-better (17) and rounds in the 60's (6) this season. Lau set what was then the program's 54-hole scoring record (since broken) in just her second collegiate event, the 2015 Mason Rudolph Championship.
JANET MAO – FR – Johns Creek, Ga.
Mao battled her way into the Wildcats starting lineup this spring with a brilliant run of play over the last few weeks, culminating in medalist honors at the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional, her first collegiate win. The rookie has five rounds at par-or-better this season, four of which have come in her last three events.
All five Wildcats in the lineup this weekend earned 2016 All-Big Ten honors, with Komoto, Cho, Kim and Lau on the First Team, and Mao taking home Second Team recognition.
"These five have not at all come away from a win at Regionals thinking that their work is done," said Fletcher. "I think they've come away with a sense of confidence. They've really been very focused, and very efficient in their practice. To the outside, this is an up-and-coming program, one that maybe hasn't yet established itself as a mainstay in the Top-10. But there's a quiet confidence about this group. They very much feel like they've earned this, and they'll continue to go out and prove it."
Fletcher said that the strength of the group is their ability to, 'keep the golf course in front of them,' and leave any struggles behind.
"It takes discipline to stay present, and stay focused on the things that you control, she explains. "They haven't gotten too far ahead of themselves."
With their golf games on track, what is the head coach's primary concern heading into Friday's opening round and what is hopefully a long stay in Eugene?
Academics," said Fletcher. "Making sure they stay in touch with their professors, and take care of their schoolwork."
The 2016 Championships will feature the second year under the revised format. The 24-team field will play 54 holes of stroke play over the course of three days. The top 15 teams will then play one more round of stroke play on Monday, May 23. The top eight teams at the end of Monday's round will move into the match-play single elimination bracket. Tuesday will feature the quarterfinals and semifinals. The finals will be played Wednesday afternoon.
Golf Channel will provide unprecedented prime time coverage of the NCAA Women's Golf Championships. Twelve and a half hours of live event programming will be shown starting on Monday, May 23 and concluding with the match play finals on Wednesday afternoon.
The seeding for the 2016 NCAA Women's Golf Championships is as follows:
1 - Alabama
2 - USC
3 - UCLA
4 - Florida
5 - Duke
6 - Georgia
7 - NORTHWESTERN
8 - Oklahoma State
9 - Arizona
10 - Arkansas
11 - Stanford
12 - Washington
13 – Virginia
14 - Florida State
15 - South Carolina
16 – Furman
17 – Oregon
18 – Tennessee
19 - Texas
20 - Ohio State
21 - BYU
22 - Miami (FL)
23 - North Carolina
24 – Michigan
2016 NCAA Golf Championships – LIVE Leaderboard
Eugene Country Club – Course Flyover & Map
2016 Northwestern Women's Golf Statistics
Northwestern Women's Golf Record Book
The 'Cats are playing as well as any team in the country at the right time, coming off their second-straight Big Ten Championship and a win at the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional.
This season marks the Wildcats fourth straight appearance in college golf's premier event. Northwestern earned a program-best 10th-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
Big Ten Coach of the Year Emily Fletcher and assistant coach Beth Miller return three Wildcats from the 2015 squad, and has added a pair of talented freshmen to the mix for this year's competition.
Northwestern 2016 NCAA Golf Championships Lineup
KACIE KOMOTO – JR – Honolulu, Hawaii
The ranking veteran of the Wildcats this weekend, Komoto finished fourth at the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional in Alabama, her team-best sixth Top-10 finish of the season. The junior owns two of the Top-9 single-season scoring averages in Northwestern history, including No. 3 this season, and the second-lowest career stroke average (73.97) in program history.
SARAH CHO – SO – San Diego, Calif.
Cho earned her fourth Top-10 finish of the campaign with a ninth-place result at the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional. The sophomore won the 2015 Big Ten Individual Championship and started her sophomore season by winning the 2015 Dick McGuire Invite with what was, at the time, the third-best 54-hole score in Wildcats history.
HANNAH KIM – SO – Chula Vista, Calif.
In just two years Kim has put together one of the most accomplished resumes in program history, winning back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year honors in her first two seasons in Evanston. Her 2015-16 stroke average currently ranks as the best single-season scoring mark in program history, as does her career scoring average. The sophomore broke the Wildcats 54-hole scoring record in winning the 2016 Hurricane Invitational, shaving seven strokes off the previous mark with a 199.
STEPHANIE LAU – FR – Fullerton, Calif.
Lau wasted no time making an impression in college golf, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors from the Conference last month. She currently owns the second-best single-season stroke average in Wildcats history, and leads Northwestern in rounds at par-or-better (17) and rounds in the 60's (6) this season. Lau set what was then the program's 54-hole scoring record (since broken) in just her second collegiate event, the 2015 Mason Rudolph Championship.
JANET MAO – FR – Johns Creek, Ga.
Mao battled her way into the Wildcats starting lineup this spring with a brilliant run of play over the last few weeks, culminating in medalist honors at the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional, her first collegiate win. The rookie has five rounds at par-or-better this season, four of which have come in her last three events.
All five Wildcats in the lineup this weekend earned 2016 All-Big Ten honors, with Komoto, Cho, Kim and Lau on the First Team, and Mao taking home Second Team recognition.
"These five have not at all come away from a win at Regionals thinking that their work is done," said Fletcher. "I think they've come away with a sense of confidence. They've really been very focused, and very efficient in their practice. To the outside, this is an up-and-coming program, one that maybe hasn't yet established itself as a mainstay in the Top-10. But there's a quiet confidence about this group. They very much feel like they've earned this, and they'll continue to go out and prove it."
Fletcher said that the strength of the group is their ability to, 'keep the golf course in front of them,' and leave any struggles behind.
"It takes discipline to stay present, and stay focused on the things that you control, she explains. "They haven't gotten too far ahead of themselves."
With their golf games on track, what is the head coach's primary concern heading into Friday's opening round and what is hopefully a long stay in Eugene?
Academics," said Fletcher. "Making sure they stay in touch with their professors, and take care of their schoolwork."
The 2016 Championships will feature the second year under the revised format. The 24-team field will play 54 holes of stroke play over the course of three days. The top 15 teams will then play one more round of stroke play on Monday, May 23. The top eight teams at the end of Monday's round will move into the match-play single elimination bracket. Tuesday will feature the quarterfinals and semifinals. The finals will be played Wednesday afternoon.
Golf Channel will provide unprecedented prime time coverage of the NCAA Women's Golf Championships. Twelve and a half hours of live event programming will be shown starting on Monday, May 23 and concluding with the match play finals on Wednesday afternoon.
The seeding for the 2016 NCAA Women's Golf Championships is as follows:
1 - Alabama
2 - USC
3 - UCLA
4 - Florida
5 - Duke
6 - Georgia
7 - NORTHWESTERN
8 - Oklahoma State
9 - Arizona
10 - Arkansas
11 - Stanford
12 - Washington
13 – Virginia
14 - Florida State
15 - South Carolina
16 – Furman
17 – Oregon
18 – Tennessee
19 - Texas
20 - Ohio State
21 - BYU
22 - Miami (FL)
23 - North Carolina
24 – Michigan
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