IWU Women's Golf to Play in NCAA Championships

May 7, 2008

2008 NCAA Division III Golf Championships Web Page

For the sixth time overall and the fourth consecutive season, the Illinois Wesleyan women’s golf team has been selected to play in the NCAA Division III national championships.

The tournament is May 13-16 at the Centennial Oaks Golf Course in Waverly, Iowa, and includes 20 teams and 11 individuals. Wartburg College will serve as host.

Competing for Illinois Wesleyan will be senior Kristi Katz (Park Ridge, Maine South HS), juniors Maddie Murphy (Wayne, Ill., St. Francis Prep) and Nicole Spear (Naperville, Central HS) and sophomores Alessandra Bollero (Palm Beach, Fla., Cardinal Newman HS) and Lindsey Haines (Crete, Ill., Marian Catholic HS).

Bollero, who spent the second semester of the school year studying abroad, has the lowest scoring average on the team at 80.7 strokes in 13 rounds, followed by Katz (81.5), Spear (82.6), Haines (82.7) and Murphy (83.0). Bollero finished second and Katz placed fourth last fall as IWU won its sixth straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament.

In previous Division III national tourneys, IWU has been sixth in 2007, 2006 and 2000, 10th in 2002 and eighth in 2005.

In 2007 at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., the Titans had a team score of 1335 over the four days as Methodist (N.C.) was the winning team for the 10th straight year with a 1215 score. For IWU, Taylor Paskell finished tied for 23rd with a 330 total and Andrea Johanns was tied for 30th at 334. Katz (tie-43) had a score of 338, Spear (49th) had 343 and Bollero (tie-56th) had a 349. The individual medalist was Methodist's Katie Dick with a 4-over par 296 four-day total.

Eleven conferences were been granted automatic qualification and the remaining nine teams were selected on an at-large basis from conferences and the remaining independent institutions.  Eleven individuals, not from selected teams, also were selected for the championships.

The championships will consist of both team and individual competition conducted concurrently.  The tournament consists of 72 holes of play over four days of competition.  In the team competition, the low four scores from each team for each day will count in the team’s total score.

In addition to Illinois Wesleyan, defending champion Methodist and the host school Wartburg, the other selected teams are Gustavus Adolphus College, University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), Southwestern University (Texas), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Williams College, Otterbein College, DePauw University, Allegheny College, Olivet College, University of Wisconsin,-Eau Claire, Middlebury College, McMurry University, Mount Holyoke College, Franklin College, St. Lawrence University, Pacific University (Oregon), and Illinois College.

The individual selections are: Stephanie Mingos, Rhodes College; Katie Dale and Julia Gates, Oglethorpe University; Kimberly Eaton, Wellesley College; Jordan Matheson and Karla Leon, Macalester College; Meagan Brennan, Ohio Northern University; Katina Wood, Carleton College; Tory MacNeil, Elmira College; Vicki Kasza, Hollins University; and Alyssa Gaudio, North Central College.

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206