Feb. 20, 2007

If history repeats itself, first-year University of Illinois head coach Renee Slone is sure to bring success to the Fighting Illini women's golf program. Slone, known as Renee Heiken until she wed in 2001, is regarded as the best women's golfer ever to play at Illinois. She was named both the NGCA and Golfweek National Collegiate Player of the Year in 1993, was a three-time All-American and still holds numerous school records. She now returns to her alma mater to begin her collegiate coaching career, hoping to bring back the success she experienced during her playing days with the Orange and Blue.

Slone brings a new edge and increased ambition to a young team that lost only one contributor off last year's squad and has only one senior on this year's roster. There is certainly potential for improvement, as already witnessed from fall play. The Shootout at the Legends in October once again proved an ideal setting for Orange and Blue success. The Illini shattered the school's 54-hole tournament scoring record by firing an 890 at the Shootout, breaking the old mark by 11 strokes. Junior Seul Ki Park tied for second-place individually, setting a season and team single-round best of 71.

It appears Slone is well on her way to bringing a winning tradition to Illinois, and is excited about the potential her golfers have shown thus far.

"We made some strides in the fall and have continued our focus on the short game and on improving our mental game," Slone said. "We have implemented a number of team building exercises from Peak Performance Coach Jeff Jansen and because of that, the team is becoming more positive and process oriented."

A big plus for the Fighting Illini has been the opening of the new, state-of-the-art Demirjian Golf Practice Facility. Although it doesn't officially open until the spring, both the men's and women's teams have been utilizing the indoor putting green and heated hitting bays, including the V1 video equipment, during the winter months.

"The V1 equipment at Demirjian has been very helpful for us," Slone said. "It gives the student-athletes the opportunity to see for themselves how their swing compares to some of the top professionals and allows them keep track of their progress. There is no doubt the facility has enabled the team to be better prepared for the upcoming season."

Park, the top player from last year's squad (76.8 stroke average), is coming off a solid fall season in which she posted a 77.8 average. Other regulars returning from last season are juniors Stephanie Mory (78.7 average in '05-'06) and Casey Burden (79.5 average in '05-'06), and senior Meghan Naik (79.5 average in '05-'06). Naik will be limited early in the spring by a hairline fracture in her foot, but the lineup will be bolstered by Burden, who missed most of the fall season due to injury.

Also poised to make some noise this season are juniors Kristine Cook and Kristin Kallergis, and sophomores Nancy Featherstone and Kelsey O'Neal.

The Fighting Illini will kick things off Feb. 24-26 at the Chrysler Challenge in Florida and then will head to the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational in Arizona March 9-11. They'll then head back to Florida for Spring Break in late March.

"The Spring Break tournament in Florida should really get us going," Slone said. "At that point, we'll have two tournaments under our belt and should have a good idea of where we are."

Slone also is excited about the Illini Spring Classic, which will be held at Stone Creek Golf Club in Urbana, April 6-7. This year, the tournament returns to a 54-hole format for the first time since 1990-91, instead of using the 36-hole format that has been used for most of the tournament's 31-year history.

"The longer the tournament is, the more likely it is that the better golfers come through," Slone said. "Obviously, one of our biggest goals is to win our home tournament, and, this year, it will be a better test. Typically, it is more attractive for teams to play a 54-hole tournament."

During the second half of the season, the Illini will play in tournaments at Indiana and Ohio State in preparation for the Big Ten Championships. "Ohio State will be a great test," Slone said. "It is a great golf course and will be great preparation for the Big Ten Championship at Michigan State."

In terms of Big Ten play, Slone hopes to make big improvements over last year's 10th-place finish.

"Our goal at the Big Ten Championship is to finish in the top five overall," Slone said.

While that may not sound lofty to some, it would be a big step forward for a program that has finished in the top five only once in the last 11 years.

While a miracle turnaround likely won't happen overnight, one thing is for sure. Slone has both the attitude and work ethic to make Illinois women's golf a player on both the conference and national level.