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Illini Battle Big Ten's Best at Lady Northern
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Hailey Koschmann shot a 69 in the first round of the Badger Invitational last year at University Ridge.
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Sept. 25, 2009
Champaign, Ill. - The Illinois women's golf team will battle against every Big Ten opponent this weekend as they compete in the Lady Northern Invitational, hosted by the University of Wisconsin on Sept. 27-28. The Illini will travel to Madison, Wis., for the 54-hole tournament at the par-72, 6,246-yard University Ridge Course. Teams will play 36 holes Sunday in a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. CT and 18 holes Monday in a shotgun start at 8 a.m. CT.
Illinois, No. 46 in Golfweek Computer Rankings, joins three top-25 teams in the field, including No. 9 Michigan State, No. 12 Purdue, No. 13 Ohio State, College of Charleston, Georgetown, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Southern Methodist, and host Wisconsin. This is Illinois' first test against Big Ten teams and will provide a preview of the 2010 Big Ten Championship, held at University Ridge Course in April.
The Illini previously played on the University Ridge Course last season when they competed in the Badger Invitational. Sophomore Hailey Koschmann shot a first round 69 and finished in a tie for 14th place. Sophomore Maureen Liddy, a Wisconsin native, played the course in high school and won two state championships with her high school team.
"It's nice to go back to a golf course where we've got experienced success, said head coach Renee Slone on going back to University Ridge. " This will be a big test for us, but we enter the week with a new level of anticipation."
Illinois is coming off a successful tournament at the Ron Moore Women's Intercollegiate, where the Illini placed fifth overall. Illinois' second round at Denver was the second best round of the day. Sophomore Kaitlyn Wampler led the Illini with a three-round total of 224 and placed seventh.
"It was a fabulous start for her," Slone said about Wampler's performance. "She has done a tremendous job with her confidence. She came back to school with a new attitude and is carrying herself much better. It is really showing on the golf course. The team gained a lot of confidence from this first tournament. There is really a new level of excitement and motivation. They are raising the bar and I am excited to see what we can do from here."
For coverage of the Illinois women's golf team at the Lady Northern, visit fightingillini.com for a full recap at the end of each day's action. Fans can also follow the action live by going to golfstatresults.com.
