Junior earns share of Big Ten title

Entering Sunday's play of the Big Ten Championships, the IU women's golf team was tied for third place, and junior Karen Dennison sat three strokes ahead of her nearest competitor in first place. When the final round was completed, the Hoosiers had sunk to eighth place and Dennison finished in a tie for first place with Allison Hanna from Ohio State at 2-over par for the tournament. Dennison's Big Ten medalist honors marks the first time a Hoosier has claimed the top spot since Erin Carney won the 1999 title. \nThrough the first three rounds, Dennison shot an IU record for the Big Ten Championships by firing a 217 over the first 54 holes, bettering former Hoosier Erika Wicoff's mark of 218, which was set in 1995. Dennison shot a final round 77 (+4), her highest of the tournament, allowing Hanna to catch her and tie for the individual medalist honors. \nDennison is the No. 22 ranked golfer in the nation according to the latest GolfWeek/Sagarin ratings. Her first place finish is the fourth time this season she has claimed the top spot. Prior to this year, Dennison's highest finish was fourth place. \nDennison's strong individual performance was not enough to elevate the Hoosiers' team score, as she was the only IU golfer to finish in the top 25 for the tournament. Junior Danah Ford shot a 314 for the tournament and finished in a tie for 28th place, which coincidently is where she finished last year. Junior Ambry Bishop, propelled by a third round 74, finished in a tie for 34th place. Senior Cara Stuckey, competing in her final Big Ten Championship, finished one stroke behind Bishop, placing in a tie for 37th. Rounding out the Hoosiers' scoring were freshman Molly Redfearn and junior Mary Lidester, who finished in 47th and 53rd, respectively.\nThis season the Hoosiers have claimed three team titles and placed out of the top four just once prior to the Big Ten Championships, but the team struggled in the final round and placed 43 strokes behind eventual champion Ohio State. The eighth place finish marks just the fourth time in 22 years that the Hoosiers have placed out of the top three at the Big Ten Championships, but it is the second year in a row. And while the squad did finish eighth, only nine shots separated third place from 10th place. The Hoosiers final round score of 315 (+23) was the highest of the day for any team and caused the team's drop down the leaderboard.