RIPON, Wis. – Carroll shoots for its third straight championship this weekend in the 2011 Midwest Conference Women’s Golf Championship that begins on Friday morning. The three day event, hosted by Illinois C., will take place at The Rail Golf Course in Springfield, Ill.
A talented group of golfer’s return for the 2011 championship as eight of the top-11 placeholders will compete for a change to be the next individual champion. The 2010 MWC Individual Champion was Juliann Papesch but a new champion will be crowned after the Illinois C. standout was lost due to graduation. A pair of Carroll golfers, Morgan Zuleger and Angelina Parrinello, finished second and third, respectively, while Grinnell’s Mallory Messin took a fourth place finish and will contend for the individual championship this season. Other top performers returning from 2010 include Stephanie Spahr (Grinnell, t-6th), Erin Sullivan (Carroll, t-6th), Jessie Lillis (Ripon, t-8th), Emma Moore (Illinois C., t-8th) and Amber Steichen (Ripon, t-10th).
The team champion of the three day tournament will earn the MWC automatic berth to the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, which will be played in the spring (May 10-13) at the Mission Inn Resort & Club, El Campeon Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Carroll will push for its third championship in as many years under first year head coach Robert Retzlaff. Last season the Pioneers won by 30 strokes over Illinois C. to capture the title and had two of the top three individual scores in the 54-hole championship. During the regular season the Pioneers posted an average score of 334.4 shots per round in eight rounds (lowest in the conference) and hold the three lowest single round scores in the conference. 2010 individual runner up Morgan Zuleger enters as one of the favorites averaging only 83.3 shots per round this season. Zuleger is only bested by teammate Angelina Parrinello who was the third place finisher in last year’s championship. Parrinello holds the conference-low average of 81.6 shots per round including a league-low round 74 in the first round of the Illinois Wesleyan Fall Invitational. Carroll also returns Lauren Felton (86.7 shots per round) and Abigail Sidders (85.7 shots per round) who have combined for three top-10 finishes this year.
Grinnell aims for its first MWC Women’s Golf Championship in school history after a third place finish in 2010. The Pioneers were only eight shots behind runner up Illinois C. last season and returns a strong core that finished the regular season with the second lowest scoring average (339.9 shots per round) in the league. Three times this season Grinnell has shot rounds under 340 with a low of 330 in the second round of the Wartburg College Fall Invitational. Mallory Messin will contend for the individual championship after a fourth place finish in 2010 holding the third lowest average of 83.6 shots per round, including a second round 78 at the Wartburg College Fall Invitational. Hailey Speck averaged 85.3 strokes per round in three rounds and earned a top-five finish at the Central College Fall Invitational while Alex Plemmons has a low round of 80 and an 86.3 average in seven rounds.
After a fifth place finish in the 2009 championship the Lady Blues earned runner up status in 2010 and look for its first championship since winning six consecutive from 2003-2008. Brenna Kelly will be without two top-10 performers from the 2010 when individual champion Juliann Papesch and 10th place finisher Denee Menghini were lost to graduation. Holly Ziegler leads Illinois C. with a 91.3 shot per round average and shot a low score of 87 in the first round of the Illinois College Invitational. Aria Ordlock owns the four lowest round scores for the Lady Blues including an 82 at the Illinois College Mid-Week Invitational where she took a top-five finish. Emma Moore earned an eighth place finish at the 2010 championships and currently holds the second lowest scoring average on the team with a 94 in two rounds of play.
Knox improved two spots in the 2010 championship with a fifth place finish and have their sights set higher in 2011 under head coach Emily Cline. The Prairie Fire need to replace Jessica DeMory who was lost to graduation after a fifth place finish last season and look towards Mia Savard to fill the void. Savard holds a team-low scoring average of 96.7 which includes an 83 at the Grinnell College Invitational where the Prairie Fire took a fifth place finish. Monica Price has twice shot under 100 and maintained a scoring average of 107.8 shots while Sarah Martin (low round: 107) and Lizzy Rodgers (low round: 105) round out the Prairie Fire team.
Molly McNamara hopes to improve the place for a Monmouth team that finished seventh in the 2010 championship but completed a successful 2011 season that saw the Fighting Scots hold the third lowest scoring average (368.3) in the conference. Breanne Ford and Lauren DeVolder combined for three top-10 finishes this season while both average just over 90 shots per round. Monmouth had its most successful showing at the Millikin Fall Classic with a two round total of 714 which included Ford and Nicole Hurst both shooting a season-low round of 83. Hurst also has the third lowest average on the team at 92.2 shots per round while Korri Crawford averages 93.9 shots a round and has a low round of 88 at the Millikin Fall Classic.
Ripon took a fourth place finish last season and aims for its first MWC Championship in school history under head coach Cody Pinkston. Pinkston welcomes back Amber Steichen who finished the 2010 championship in a tie for 10th place and shot a team-low score of 86 at the Ripon College Co-Ed Invitational. Steichen also averages 94.9 shots per round which is good for third on the team. Kristin Chramowicz competed in six events during the regular season and holds an average of 93.2 shots per round with three top-10 finishes to her credit. Jenny Donohue has a 93.6 shot average and a pair of top-five finishes solidifying the Ripon lineup. As a team, Ripon holds the fourth lowest scoring average of 374.6 in eight rounds and shot a team-low 363 in the second round of the UW-Whitewater Fall Fling.
Dave Minten enters his second season as women’s golf coach for the Green Knights and returns every member from his 2010 team that finished sixth at the MWC Championship. Kathleen Geraghty notched the low-round average for St. Norbert with 90.1 shots that also include three top-five finishes and a low round of 85 at the Ripon Co-Ed Invitational. Kelley Kletti averaged 94.6 shots per round with a low round of 86 and Alexis Klinger, who finished 23rd at the 2010 championship, is third on the team with a 96.4 average and a top-five finish. St. Norbert has an average team score of 384.5 in 10 rounds of play which includes a season-best 370 in the second round of the Ripon College Co-Ed Invitational.
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