11th place in South Bend

The IU women's golf team started its 2005 campaign with an impressive showing this past weekend at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend. The Hoosiers tied for 11th place in a 17-team field, but there was plenty of excitement, most notably from senior Shannon Johnson. Johnson, who fired seven over par 223 (72-76-75), earned co-medalist honors at the event. \nJohnson transferred to IU from the University of New Mexico where she played under the tutelage of IU head coach Clint Wallman.\n"I had a really good time and it felt great to get back into college golf," said Johnson, playing in her first tournament as a Hoosier. \n"I am really excited. We have really good team chemistry and that is important."\nWallman was thoroughly impressed with the performance of his senior.\n"I thought Shannon showed a tremendous amount of determination and competitiveness in such a difficult final round," he said.\nWallman was just as pleased with the season-opening effort of the team but admitted improvements will have to be made. \n"In this tournament we had stretches of total brilliance. We played like a top ten team in the nation at times but we also had some rough spots," said Wallman, now in his second year as the Hoosiers' coach. "Everyone from top to bottom made a contribution. It was fun to watch, and the team will grow in leaps and bounds."\nFollowing Johnson, sophomore Elaine Harris was the next IU finisher, ending in a tie for 55th overall with a 247 (83-81-83). Sophomore Kendal Hake fired a 253, good enough for 60th place, while senior Katie Carlson carded a 273 to tie for 84th.\nJohnson wasn't the only Hoosier to be playing in her first match for the cream and crimson, as freshman Amber Lindgren also got a taste of college golf while finishing 59th overall with a three-day score of 251. \n"It was a new experience for me, but I didn't play as well as I hoped," said the former Indiana Junior Player of the Year. "The team was real supportive, and we are ready to go to Michigan State." The host, University of Notre Dame, was the tournament champion with a three-day team score of 929, nine shots better than second place University of Toledo and 16 shots better than Georgetown University. \nThe Hoosiers will tee off next weekend at the Mary Fossum Invitational at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.