2009-10 Women's Golf Season Preview
9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Sept. 3, 2009
Under head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, the Michigan State women's golf program has been one of the most successful and consistent programs in not only the Big Ten Conference, but the entire nation.
During Slobodnik-Stoll's 12 years as head coach of the program, her players have earned All-Big Ten honors 25 times and All-America accolades four times. As a team, she has led the Spartans to 11 straight NCAA Regional appearances (1999-2009), seven trips to the NCAA Championships (2000-03, 2005, 2007, 2009) and two Big Ten titles (2001, 2007). MSU has won 23 tournaments during this span, including a victory at the 2008 Mary Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West last September.
But for all the winning teams she has coached at Michigan State, she believes the 2009-10 edition has a chance to be the best.
The Spartans return all five starters from a lineup that posted the program's second-best finish in school history after tying for 13th at the 2009 NCAA Championships. This season, the Spartans are not only shooting for a Big Ten title and their eighth trip to the NCAA Championships in the past 11 years, but for a top-10 finish at nationals, which has never been done before in the history of the program.
"I'm not going to try and downplay what we think we have here this year," said Slobodnik-Stoll, who is entering her 13th year at the helm of the program. "The young women on our team know it, and I don't know how you would motivate and push them if you didn't expect the best. I think in our program, much like Tom Izzo's program which we try and mirror, we've created a tradition of excellence. We let our players know that the expectations to win the Big Ten championship and finish in the top 10 in the country are real. Those are real expectations, and there's no reason we shouldn't shoot for the stars this year.
"I think our job as coaches is we put those goals out there at the end of August for the team, and that's the bottom rung of our ladder. For every day of practice, every workout, every study session, every tournament we play, we keep going up a notch on that ladder, and by May, we're at the top of the ladder and have an opportunity to reach the goals we set for ourselves. That's what's important to us. Every day in practice, we're putting our players in situations that are going to make us better as a team, on the golf course and off the golf course. All of the players on the team know they're going to be pushed a little bit and have to step it up, which will ultimately help our program and reach the goals we are striving for this year."
Headlining the list of returning players is senior Laura Kueny, who was named a second-team All-American last season by Golfweek. Kueny's career stroke average of 74.90 is currently the best in Michigan State history. The Whitehall, Mich., native has 11 career top-five finishes, along with 14 in the top 10. She nearly claimed the Michigan Women's Open at Crystal Mountain Resort in August, but finished second to former Spartan and current LPGA golfer Allison Fouch by one stroke. Kueny earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2008 for the second straight season after leading the team with a 74.50 scoring average, which ranked as the third-best single-season average in school history.
"Watching Laura compete and interact with Allison Fouch on the final day of the Michigan Open was such a fun experience, just knowing that we're producing players that are going to play on tour and be successful," said Slobodnik-Stoll. "Laura has grown so much not only as a golfer, but as a person, and that's what has been so enjoyable for me. She's grown and matured and hopefully is ready to go on tour after this year.
"We're very excited about the upcoming year for Laura. One of her goals is to be a first-team All-American and we want to be in the top 10 at nationals, and we know that she's going to be the catalyst that's going to help us do that.
"I think by having her on the team, she helps everyone else. In golf, we always want to play with players that are better than us. For the team to get to play with her on a daily basis and see what she's good at and where her weaknesses are, we all become better. Laura is very humble, but what she's accomplished in her career here has been amazing. We feel lucky that we've got her for one more year."
The Spartans also welcome back another two-time All-Big Ten honoree as junior Aimee Neff was named to the second team each of her first two seasons. Neff was third on the team last season with a 77.22 scoring average, but made even more strides in the offseason with an impressive summer. She became just the third player ever to win back-to-back titles at the Illinois Open, and also claimed the tournament championship at the Indiana Open. In addition, Neff advanced to the round of 32 in match play at both the U.S. Women's Amateur and the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
 Junior Aimee Neff won both the Indiana Open and the Illinois Open over the summer.  | |
"I'm just so happy for Aimee after how well she's played this summer," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "Winning two opens and qualifying for match play in the U.S. Public Links and the U.S. Women's Amateur is spectacular and only adds to her impressive resume. Aimee pushes herself internally very hard and she expects a lot out of herself - she's very dedicated. She's just an all-around great kid and we're so happy to have her here."
Sophomore Lindsey Solberg followed in Neff's footsteps as a freshman, garnering second-team All-Big Ten accolades while also notching NGCA All-Central Region honors. Solberg was second on the team with a 76.81 scoring average and led the Spartans at both the NCAA Central Regional, where she finished sixth, and the NCAA Championships with a tie for 39th. She recorded three top-20 finishes and two top-10 showings, including tying for second in her first-ever collegiate event, the Mary Fossum Invitational, with a season-best round of 218.
"You can't help but smile when you think of Lindsey Solberg," said Slobodnik-Stoll. "She's a very exciting kid to have on the team - she's a breath of fresh air and just a fun person to be around. Mentally, she's very solid. Some of the things that she was saying as a freshman, Lorne and I were amazed and so happy by it because she had the same characteristics of Emily Bastel, who I consider to be one of the most mature players we've ever had at Michigan State.
"As far as Lindsey's game, she's learned a lot and knows her role on this team. We're really looking forward to see what she's capable of doing her sophomore year. This is an exciting year for her because the Big Ten Championship is in her home state of Wisconsin, so we're going to get to go to her hometown twice."
Michelle Bowles enters her junior season with a career scoring average of 79.49 after playing in 20 tournaments her first two seasons. She was in the starting lineup every tournament last season, posting a 79.14 average, good for fifth on the team.
"Michelle has been working diligently on her swing this summer, mainly the mechanical part of it," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "I think she knew she had to work on some things with her swing so she can shoot the numbers I know she wants to reach and is capable of reaching. She played in every tournament for us last year and has a lot of experience. We expect her to expand on that this year. She is a wonderful person and a great Spartan."
Red-shirt junior Natalie Brehm blossomed this summer after taking second at the Michigan Women's Amateur in July and expects to contend for a spot in the lineup. She qualified for the starting lineup in three tournaments last season, including a 33rd-place finish in her first appearance at the Big Ten Championships.
"Natalie has gotten better each and every year," said Slobodnik-Stoll. "After taking second in the Michigan Women's Amateur and qualifying for the U.S. Public Links this past summer, her experience is just increasing and increasing. With that experience, her confidence level has risen. All of these experiences this summer have helped her realize she's capable of playing with everyone on this team. We expect her to be a source of competition and a threat for one of those five starting spots."
Sophomore Shannon Warner showed her upside during the second half of last season, starting in the last three tournaments for the Spartans. Warner competed in seven tournaments and played 20 rounds as a true freshman, perhaps none bigger than her eighth-place showing at the Big Ten Championships. She also tied for 20th overall and was third on the team at the NCAA Central Regional.
"Shannon came to Michigan State with a very solid junior golf background," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "She really came on in the second half of the year and was key to our success at Big Ten's, regionals and nationals. We just hope coming into her sophomore year she will build upon that and realize what she's capable of doing for this team."
The Spartans also boast two highly-regarded freshmen who have the capability to play right away. Caroline Powers, a product of Bowling Green, Ohio, won the Big I National Championship this summer, while Liz Nagel helped DeWitt become one of the top high school programs in the state of Michigan.
"I have known about Caroline since she started playing golf as a little kid," said Slobodnik-Stoll. "With former Spartan All-American Emily Bastel being her cousin, we thought it would be a great story if Caroline also played here, and we're fortunate it worked out that way. Academically and athletically, she is superb. Her golf game is very solid, and I know she feels a lot of confidence after winning the Big I Championship this summer. We expect Caroline to step in and be a threat to contend for a top-five spot.
"Liz hits the golf ball a long way," Slobodnik-Stoll said of Nagel. "That is a strength that is hard to teach players - they either have it or they don't. She definitely has the talent to help us stay at the level we're at. We're really looking forward to having her on the team after watching her for most of her junior career."
 Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll welcomes back all five starters from last season's team that tied for 13th at the NCAA Championships. | |
Also in the mix for the lineup include seniors Ashley Dewling, Jen Domagalski and Sarah Nirenberg, and red-shirt sophomore Maddi Massa.
"We absolutely love having Ashley on the team," said Slobodnik-Stoll. "Ashley is a very special Spartan and she will be very successful after she graduates in May with a degree in hospitality business. We feel fortunate to have her on our squad.
"Jen is a fifth-year senior who received an internship as a nurse at the Mayo Clinic over the summer. She had the opportunity to work at one of the best hospitals in the country. I know she's looking forward to her final year of competition. Jen has been a great Spartan for us, she works hard in whatever task is at hand and is very supportive of our team and of the university."
Nirenberg competed in the Michigan Women's Open over the summer and is also entering her last season wearing the Green and White.
"Sarah has been a wonderful addition to the team during her career," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "She has worked hard on her golf game and is very involved with her academics. She will graduate this December and will be applying for law school, which she plans on attending beginning in the fall of 2010."
Red-shirt sophomore Maddi Massa had a solid summer, tying for 30th at the GAM Women's Championship while also advancing to match play at the Michigan Women's Amateur.
"Maddi has worked extremely hard at her game, and she's also a 4.0 student," said Slobodnik-Stoll. "She had a nice first round at the Michigan Open and she's definitely hungry to get into the lineup. We're hoping she has that opportunity this year where she steps forward and puts herself in a position to make the lineup. She's a wonderful player and person to have on our team."
As always, Coach Slobodnik-Stoll has put together a challenging schedule for the Spartans, both in the fall and spring seasons.
"Our schedule this year is another reflection of who we are at Michigan State," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "We have an extremely competitive schedule. We have players whose goal is to play on tour and as a program, it's our responsibility to create a schedule that will test our players day in and day out.
"In the fall, the Mary Fossum Invitational is a very solid field and the Lady Tar Heel is always strong. We were invited to the NCAA Preview this year, which is well deserved after our season last year. Having that experience of playing four rounds on the golf course where the NCAA Championships are in May will be great experience.
"In the spring, we go to Los Angeles again for the Regional Challenge, which is a very competitive tournament with extremely tough greens. We host our tournament, the Central District Invitational, in Parrish, Florida, and we're going back down to Black Diamond where former Spartan great Lynn Janson is the Director of Golf for spring break to play an alumni match. We then head to Athens, Georgia for the Liz Murphey and to the Lady Gator in Gainesville, Florida, before playing in the Lady Buckeye Invitational, which we compete in every year. After that, it's the postseason with Big Ten's, Regionals and Nationals. Every day we play, the team will be tested, and that's what we want."
Players Mentioned
