2007 WIAC Women’s Golf Championship Preview

For the second consecutive season, Windwood of Watertown will host the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Golf Championship.  This year’s competition, the 12th edition of the event, will be held on Oct. 6-7.

A conference title isn’t the only prize at stake, with an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III championship field awarded to the winner.  The national meet will be held May 13-16, 2008 at Centennial Oaks Golf Club in Waverly, Iowa.

UW-Eau Claire has won a league-best five conference championships, including three consecutive, and has claimed the individual title four straight seasons (Susan Karlman – 2003, Maggie Loney – 2004 & 2005, Torie Ives – 2006).    Ives, a sophomore, defeated UW-Oshkosh’s Jennifer Young on the first hole in a sudden death playoff a year ago, marking the first time in WIAC history the individual crown was decided on an extra hole.

This year, senior Meghan Sobotta secured medalist honors at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational and finished second at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational.  She leads the Blugolds with a 80.4 stroke average.  Ives ranks second at 84.1, while sophomore Brianna Obermueller is third at 91.3.

UW-Stevens Point appears primed to overtake the Blugolds and earn its first league championship since 1997.  The Pointers have registered four consecutive fourth-place finishes at the conference event, but have been the highest-finishing conference school in all five events they have participated in this season, including three team titles.

Freshman Michelle Pascavis won medalist honors at the UW-Oshkosh Invitational and UW-Stevens Point Invitational this year and leads the squad with a 78.5 stroke average.  Sophomore Jessica Urban is second with a 80.3 stroke average and placed first at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.  Sophomore Amy Stiloski is third with a 83.3 stroke average.

UW-Whitewater won the inaugural conference championship in 1996 and also earned the top spot in 1999.  This season, junior Diana Schmidt captured medalist honors at the 18-hole Carthage College Invitational, while sophomore Emily Kuiper took second at the UW-Stevens Point Invitational after posting a school-record 36-hole total of 154.  Schmidt leads the Warhawks with a 83.3 stroke average, while Kuiper is second at 84.1.

UW-Oshkosh has claimed three conference titles, including back-to-back victories in 2002 and 2003.  The Titans are led by senior Liz Buske with a 84.0 stroke average and junior Megan Scherg at 85.3.

UW-Superior placed fifth a year ago, matching the best finish in program history, which was accomplished in 1997.  Junior Breanna Deterling leads the team with a 88.9 stroke average and is closely followed by freshman Macie Anderson at 89.1.

UW-Stout placed sixth in its first-ever championship appearance last season.  The Blue Devils are led by junior Molly Loney with a 86.6 stroke average.

UW-Platteville junior Michelle Ebert leads the team with a 86.9 stroke average, while UW-River Falls junior Katie Kantrud tops the squad with a 96.4.