Eighth at Lady Northern is improvement for 'M'

By Swapnil Patel

For the Daily

The Michigan women's golf team continued its impressive performance this past weekend, firing a season-low 300 in the final round of the Lady Northern Intercollegiate. The Wolverines finished eighth in a field of 16.

Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn., hosted Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota and Purdue as well as other Big Ten teams.

The Wolverines shot a combined 923 for the three-day, 54-hole tournament. Although their eighth-place finish seems mediocre, the golfers improved their play each round.

"Overall, we played solid. I was actually happy with the improvement we showed," coach Kathy Teichert said. After shooting a 315 in the first round, the ladies dropped seven strokes to fire a 308 in the second round. Michigan showed further improvement in the final round, dropping eight more strokes to chalk up a 300.

"We had a very good weekend. I know that we can shave off four, five, six strokes easily and it is a matter of just doing it consistently," Teichert added.

Juniors Bess Bowers, Cortney Reno and LeAnna Wicks, along with freshman Sarah Kruer paced Michigan. Bowers finished tied for 10th after she shot a season-best 74 to close out the competition. Reno tied for 19th.

"Bess and Cortney finished in the top 20 so it was a great tournament for both of them," Teichert said.

Wicks finished tied for 24th thanks to a season-best 73 in the last round. Kruer, who ended tied for 41st, amassed a career-best second-round total of 75, bettering her 82 fired in the third round of the Wolverine Invitational two weeks ago.

"Our depth is at an all-time high and that is great for our team," Teichert said.

Thus far, the golfers have had a beginning to their season. Michigan has finished second in a field of 12 teams, in the Wolverine Invitational, and fifth among 15 in Mary Fossum Invitational.

Interestingly, the Wolverines totaled a lower score in this past weekend's tournament than in prior events. Despite their eighth-place, played well.

"The level of play in the Big Ten has significantly improved so you really have to be at the top of your game each week," Teichert said.

Ohio State's Mollie Fankhauser won medalist honors with a 2-over par 218 with rounds of 73, 72 and 73. Fankhauser's individual prowess helped the Buckeyes win the invitational team title with a combined score of 896. Purdue and Minnesota rounded out the top three with scores of 905 and 908, respectively.

Falcon Heights flying high: Les Bolstad Golf Course will host the Big Ten championships on April 27-29, 2001. The Wolverines will next visit Franklin, Ind., for the Women's Collegiate Shootout Oct. 9-10.