Titans To Compete At WIAC Championship
UW-Stevens Point strives for a third straight title at this
weekend’s WIAC Women’s Golf Championship in Arkdale.
The 14th annual league event will be conducted over 54 holes at
Northern Bay Golf Resort & Marina. Competition begins on Friday
(Oct. 9) and concludes on Sunday (Oct. 11).
The 2008 championship consisted of 45 holes due to inclement
weather and had the Pointers total 822 strokes. UW-Eau Claire was
second with 825 strokes, UW-Whitewater third with 855, UW-Stout
fourth with 894, UW-Superior fifth with 906, UW-Platteville sixth
with 936, UW-River Falls seventh with 974 and UW-Oshkosh eighth
with 998.
UW-Stevens Point’s title defense will be led by senior
Jessica Urban, who owns a conference-best 77.3 stroke average this
season. She has captured the individual title at the Illinois
Wesleyan Fall Classic, UW-Platteville Invitational and UW-Stevens
Point Invitational. Urban, the reigning WIAC Player of the Year,
could become the first person in Pointer archives to secure the
league’s individual crown.
The Pointers have received solid contributions from sophomore
Danelle Olson (83.7 avg.) and freshman Mary Donohue (87.2).
Looking to break UW-Stevens Point’s championship run are
UW-Eau Claire and UW-Whitewater. The Blugolds own a conference-best
five championships - with the most recent in 2006 - while the
Warhawks claimed the inaugural WIAC trophy in 1996 and added
another crown in 1999.
UW-Eau Claire sophomore Katie Maurer will attempt to become just
the second individual in conference history to earn back-to-back
crowns. UW-Eau Claire’s Maggie Loney earned consecutive
first-place medals in 2005-06. The Blugolds have captured six
straight individual titles at the WIAC event.
Maurer boasts a team-best 78.5 average this year and claimed
first-place honors at the Doug Georgianni Memorial Tournament. She
is closely followed by freshman Catherine Wagner, who owns a 79.3
average. Wagner took second at the prestigious O’Brien
Division III Championship in Notre Dame, Ind.
The supporting cast for the Blugolds consists of sophomores Emily
Swift (81.8) and Jamie Hauser (82.0), along with senior Torie Ives
(82.0). Ives claimed WIAC medalist honors in 2006.
UW-Whitewater senior Chelsea Davis earned medalist honors at the
UW-Oshkosh Invitational and UW-Whitewater Invitational, while
carrying a team-best 81.6 average. The Warhawks should receive
solid showings from senior Emily Kuiper (86.2), freshman Gianna
Tenuta (87.5), junior Melanie Helgeson (88.0) and sophomore Melissa
Ellis (88.1).
Additional individuals producing strong performances this season
include UW-Oshkosh senior Emily Wichman (Neenah) (89.4),
UW-Platteville junior Tricia Pawelski (89.3) and freshman Kellsey
Welter (89.8), UW-River Falls sophomore Mackenzie Casey (91.0) and
UW-Stout freshman Becca Eggers (85.5) and junior Morgan Loney
(87.2).
UW-Oshkosh is serving as the host school for this year’s
championship.