CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After putting the Demirjian Golf Practice Facility to good use during the winter break, Illinois Women's Golf will return to action with a full spring slate awaiting it. The Fighting Illini will play in five spring tournaments before beginning postseason play at the Big Ten Championships.
"Winter training has been the terrific," shared head coach Renee Slone. "Every team member has fully bought into the process of getting better and doing those little things that will enable her to be successful. The team has worked hard to get in the best physical and mental condition possible and I look forward to seeing that dedication pay off. The biggest improvement over any team that I have coached is the team's willingness to work on the mental side of their games."
The Fighting Illini finished the fall campaign with four top-10 tournament finishes, including a third place finish at the Minnesota Invitational. UI concluded the fall on a strong note as well, tying for fifth place in the 20-team Palmetto Intercollegiate field.
Posting the lowest stroke average for the Illini was freshman Bing Singhsumalee with a 74.07 average. The Naperville, Illinois, native also tied Illinois' lowest single round score in team history in her first career round at six-under (66).
"To be honest, we sputtered a bit down the stretch of the fall season," stated Slone. "We have emphasized the importance of staying healthy both physically and mentally as we had some challenges during the last few tournaments of the fall. With the help of the Director of Integrated Performance, Randy Ballard, we introduced a wellness survey to the team to provide valuable feedback and stay on top of things. Expectations can become burdens if you allow them to. We have done a great job of compartmentalizing those first three tournaments and building off of those results while cleaning up the issues that hindered us those last two tournaments."
The Fighting Illini will open 2016 action at the eighth annual Illinois Challenge, an exhibition competition against Illinois State held in Venice, Florida, on Saturday, Feb. 13. Illinois has won the contest every year since its inception, including last season's 8-4 victory over the Redbirds.
"This year the tournament is several days later, which was purposely done to take advantage of the proximity of the start of our first official tournament," Slone said. "It's always a plus to be able to play before the first event to regain your competitive edge. The format is also useful, since the NCAA championship has moved to match play. This will be the only competition we have against an opponent to prepare for that."
In their first non-exhibition action of 2016, the Orange and Blue will head to the Westbrook Spring Invitational in Peoria, Arizona. This marks the fifth-consecutive season Illinois Women's Golf will open the spring slate at the University of Wisconsin hosted event. Six Big Ten teams will be present in the 15-team field. Additionally, six teams that rank in the top-50 of the Golfstat ranking will compete at the two-day event.
Following a two-week break, Illinois will head to Augusta, Georgia, for the 3M Augusta Invitational from March 11-13. The event will be hosted by GRU Augusta at the Forest Hills Golf Club.
Upon return from Georgia, the Fighting Illini will host their sixth-annual Mid-Season Celebration. The event, sponsored by Flex-N-Gate Corporation, serves as a celebration of the Illinois Women's Golf program's past accomplishments, current team and bright future. The occasion will take place Tuesday, March 15, at the Urbana Country Club.
Just a week later, the Fighting Illini will head outside of the continental U.S., traveling to Oahu, Hawaii, for the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational. Action will take place over the two-day span of March 22-23.
Illinois will return to Georgia for the second time in the month of March to take part in the Henssler Financial Intercollegiate, hosted by Kennesaw State. Competition will be played on Monday and Tuesday, March 28-29.
"Our schedule is designed to prepare us for the postseason," shared Slone. "Having back-to-back events will help us get ready for the Lady Buckeye, Big Ten Championship, NCAA Regional trio. Our conditioning will have us well prepared and Randy Ballard will be assisting us with a sleep program that will aid in recovery time. After enjoying a highly successful tournament in Hawaii, our spirits should be sky high. We are leaving Hawaii 12 hours earlier than originally planned so that we have two days to recover from any jet lag we may face. These 18-21 year olds can be pretty resilient and I know our team will be embrace this amazing opportunity to spend spring break in Hawaii and play a pair of terrific tournaments with stout competition."
Regular-season competition will wrap up in Columbus, Ohio, at the Lady Buckeye Invitational. This season will mark the 11th-consecutive season that the Fighting Illini will participate in the Ohio State event hosted by Ohio State. Illinois finished sixth as a team at last year's event, led individually by now-junior Stephanie Miller who finished 10th.
"There is not a better tournament or golf course for us to play in preparation for Big Tens and the NCAA tournaments," Slone said of the Lady Buckeye Invitational. "Weather and course conditions are very similar to what we will face at The Fort in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship. It is a great measuring stick for us."
Postseason play begins on April 22 at the Big Ten Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Illini will seek to improve on last season's ninth place finish. At last year's Championships, the Orange and Blue were led by then-freshman Chayanid Prapassarangkul, who turned in a 16th place performance.
"We focus on getting better every day; if we do that, individually and as a team, the goals that might be in the back of our minds will be achieved," Slone said of the team's spring expectations. "We want to do things that have never been done in the history of the women's golf program at the University of Illinois. If we get better every day and believe in the process those things will come."
Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest information on Fighting Illini women's golf as the team begins the spring season.
