Women's Golf Fall Recap
11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Nov. 4, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. - At the beginning of the season, women's golf head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll said this year's team had the potential to be the best in school history.
After a tremendously successful fall season, the Spartans are right on track.
Michigan State shot a school-record 860 (-4) to win the Tar Heel Invitational by 12 strokes, claimed the Mary Fossum Invitational for the fifth straight year, and recorded a program-record round of 280 (-8) at the Lady Northern Invitational.
The win at the Tar Heel Invitational was even more impressive considering the field consisted of nine top-25 teams. MSU was named the Golfweek National Team of the Week twice, following its wins at the Fossum and Tar Heel Invitationals.
The Spartans closed the fall season with a unique opportunity, playing at the NCAA Fall Preview in Wilmington, N.C., on the same course that is hosting the 2010 NCAA Championships in May. MSU finished 10th at the prestigious tournament, but more importantly, had the invaluable experience of measuring up the Country Club of Landfall Course.
With the fall season complete, MSU sits at No. 5 in the Golfweek and Golfstat rankings.
"I definitely think we accomplished our goals for the fall," said head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. "We knew right away when we started qualifying that this team was going to be something special. We were shooting under-par rounds, and that trickled into the Mary Fossum Invitational and the Lady Northern Invitational.
"The highlight was definitely winning the Tar Heel Invitational - we've never won a tournament of that caliber. I would say that was the biggest regular-season win in the history of the program. At the fall preview, we didn't play as well as we wanted, but we got some great rounds out of everyone at one time or another throughout the tournament, and also got a good look at the course."
Michigan State's ingredient for success has been balance in the starting lineup. The Spartans feature four players (Laura Kueny at No. 33, Caroline Powers at No. 69, Aimee Neff at No. 77 and Lindsey Solberg at No. 83) ranked in the top 100 - and the fifth, Shannon Warner, has placed in the top 10 in two tournaments.
Kueny, a preseason All-American, has lived up to the hype, leading the team with a 73.17 scoring average and three top-10 finishes. She posted a career-best score of 212 to tie for second at the Tar Heel Invitational, and is on pace to become the program's all-time leader in scoring average. She will enter the spring with a 74.68 average; Sara Brown currently owns the record at 75.29.
"I'm proud of everyone and the accomplishments we made," said Kueny. "We set some records, and we're definitely looking forward to the spring season. Everyone will be entering the spring with a lot of confidence. I think we can do some big things, and that's very exciting."
Powers is a true freshman who has made a significant impact. She tied for fifth at the Lady Northern Invitational and led MSU at the NCAA Preview with a 225. Her 74.08 average is second on the team.
Neff is third on the team with a 74.25 average, while Solberg is fourth at 74.33. Neff tied for seventh at the Lady Northern and shot a season-best 218 at the Tar Heel Invitational. Solberg was a testament to the lineup's depth in the season opener at the Mary Fossum Invitational, as she tied for third playing as an individual. She has been in the lineup ever since, including an 11th-place showing at the Lady Northern Invite.
"Everyone is very encouraged by one another," said Neff, who spoke of the excellent team chemistry this season. "Everyone knows when we go out there that we can all shoot under par."
Warner tied for third with Solberg at the Fossum and also posted a top-10 finish in Chapel Hill, N.C., shooting a 216 to place sixth. Warner is ranked 114th by Golfweek.
"I think the fall was a start," said Slobodnik-Stoll. "As a coach you're never happy (with where you're at), it's always about what's coming up next. We have a long spring season to go, and it's going to be very competitive. Did we meet our expectations in the fall? I would say yes. But as a golfer, you're always looking for more."
The Spartans return to action for the spring season beginning with the Regional Challenge Feb. 8-10 in Palos Verdes, Calif.
Players Mentioned
