April 22, 2009
Big Ten Championship Notes and Stats
Tournament Central
Live Scoring
First Tee
The Illinois women's golf team heads to West Lafayette, Ind., to compete in the Big Ten Championship, hosted by Purdue on April 24-26. The 72-hole conference tournament will be played on the par-72 6,333-yard Kampen Golf Course at the Birck Boilermaker Complex. The Kampen Course, a Pete Dye redesign completed in 1998, is an 18-hole links-style championship golf course that features large bent-grass greens, fairways and tees. The Illini look to improve on their 11th-place finish at last year's event.
Big Ten Championship Schedule
Friday, April 24: First Round, 7 a.m. CT; Second Round, 12:30 p.m. (approx.)
Saturday, April 25: Third Round, 8 a.m. CT
Sunday, April 26: Final Round, 7 a.m. CT
Tournament Field
All eleven Big Ten schools will vie for the conference title with a field consisting of three teams ranked in the top 30 of the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index and nine teams ranked in the top 100. Illinois joins No. 11 Purdue, No. 21 Michigan State, No. 30 Ohio State, No. 51 Michigan, No. 60 Indiana, No. 69 Northwestern, No. 72 Minnesota, No. 75 Wisconsin, No. 92 Iowa and Penn State.
Last Time Out
Illinois took eighth at this past weekend's Lady Buckeye Invitational, finishing ahead of four fellow Big Ten teams with a 54-hole tournament total of 941. The Orange and Blue placed ahead of Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota in the loaded 15-team field. Freshman Samantha Sloan led the Illini charge, tallying her sixth consecutive top-25 finish by tying for 20th overall with a 54-hole total of 232. Freshman Hailey Koschmann joined Sloan in the top 25, tying for 24th and finishing with a tournament score of 233.
Youthful Illini
Four freshmen, one sophomore and one senior make up this weekend's tournament roster:
Samantha Sloan // Freshman // Lansing, Ill.
Team leader in stroke average with a 77.30 mark ... Has tallied six consecutive top-25 finishes and has placed in the top-30 in nine of 10 events this season ... Was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week on February 25 after tying for 8th with a score of 230 at the Islander Spring Classic and leading the Illini to their best finish (T-6th) of the year ... Top Illini finisher in six tournaments ... Season-best tournament total (226) came at the Eagle Landing Invitational where she led the Illini to their lowest tournament total of 915 ... Has twice notched a season-low single round score of 73.
Hailey Koschmann // Freshman // Lake Forest, Ill.
Ranks second on the team in stroke average at 78.46 ... Has four top-25 finishes on he season and was the top Illini finisher in the team's first three events ... Fired the fourth-lowest single round (69) in school history at the Badger Invitational where she also turned in the best tournament total by an Illini this year with a 54-hole score of 224 ... Competed in eight of 10 tournaments.
Nancy Featherstone // Senior // Franklin, Ill.
Owns the third-best stroke average on the team at 79.41 ... Lone upperclassman on the squad ... Has five top-35 finishes on the year and has competed in all but one tournament ... Shot a season-low single round score of 75 and tournament total of 233 at the Eagle Landing Invitational, helping the Illinois record its lowest tournament total of 915 ... Matched her low round of 75 and tournament total of 233 at the team's spring trip to Oregon at with Duck Invitational where she also notched her best finish of the year, tying for 23rd ... Led the Illini at the Indiana Invitational, tying for 27th.
Nora Lucas // Freshman // Glenview, Ill.
Has the fourth-best stroke average on the team with a 79.42 mark ... Competed in nine of 10 tournaments on the season ... Best single round score of 74 and tournament total of 233 came at the Eagle Landing Invitational, helping the Illini notch their lowest tournament total of 915 ... Highest finish came at the Indiana Invitational where she tied for 35th.
Raquel Hopton // Sophomore // Valparaiso, Ind.
Her stroke average of 80.75 is fifth on the team ... Has competed in four tournaments this year ... Fired a season-low 75 during the second round of the Eagle Landing Invitational, helping the Illini match their lowest single round score (299) on the season ... Her lowest tournament total also came at the Eagle Landing Invitational, while her best finish (T-46th) came at the Windy City Collegiate Classic.
Katelin Dilger // Freshman // Palmdale, Calif.
Has an 82.20 stroke average ... Competed in five tournaments this season, including as an individual at the Indiana Invitational ... Fired back-to-back season-low rounds of 76 at the Eagle Landing Invitational where she also notched her best tournament total (231) and finish (T-40th) of the season.
