Sept. 19, 2007

Champaign, Ill. - The Illinois women's golf team heads to State College, Pa., for the Lady Northern Intercollegiate this weekend, Sept. 22-23. A practice round on Friday will be followed by 36 holes on Saturday and 18 holes on Sunday. The newly renovated 6,300-yard par 72 Blue Course at Penn State will also host the 2007 Big Ten Championship in the spring.

Coach Slone looks toward the weekend as an important preview for the Big Ten Championship. Every Big Ten team will participate in the upcoming tournament, except Purdue, giving the Illini a great opportunity to scout out the course and their competition. Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Toledo, and Rollins College join the other ten Big Ten schools to round out the field of 14 participating teams.

"This will be great preparation for Big Tens in the spring," said Slone. "We will definitely use the practice round to our advantage and take a lot of good notes."

Slone also hopes the team will jump out to a quick start and maintain consistency throughout the weekend. Illinois was in third place after round one of the Mary Fossum Invitational before finishing seventh overall in East Lansing.

"We just want to post three solid rounds and get off on the right foot like we did at Michigan State," said Slone.

Seniors Kristin Kallergis, Kristine Cook, Seul Ki Park, and Stephanie Mory will make the trip to Penn State along with junior Nancy Featherstone and freshman Raquel Hopton. Hopton, the 2006 Indiana High School sectional champion, will compete in her first collegiate tournament as a part of the Fighting Illini. Coach Slone believes the freshman is prepared and excited about the trip.

"Raquel is definitely looking forward to the tournament," said Slone. "I think it will be a great weekend for her."

The Orange and Blue finished 10th out of 12 teams in last year's Lady Northern hosted by Michigan State. Illinois' best finish at the Lady Northern occurred in 1991, placing second in an 18-team field.

For coverage of the Illinois women's golf team at the Lady Northern Intercollegiate, visit fightingillini.com for a full recap at the end of each day. Fans also can follow the action live at the official tournament website at golfstat.com and clicking on the Lady Northern link.