IU heads to U. of Michigan for Wolverine Invite Saturday

From personal success to team success, the Hoosiers have enjoyed a great campaign so far this season.\nThis weekend the IU women's golf team puts it all on the line when it competes in what IU coach Clint Wallman calls "the toughest challenge" of the season in the Wolverine Invitational. The tournament gets underway at 9 a.m. Saturday with two rounds of golf followed by a single round at 9 a.m. Sunday. Live stats will be available all weekend through golfstat.com for those wishing to keep up with the Hoosiers. \nDespite the challenges his team faces in this weekend's tournament, IU Coach Clint Wallman is confident the Hoosiers will meet them.\n"We always have a good shot at winning, but (there are) some very good teams that are competing in this tournament, and it is by far the toughest challenge we have faced thus far," Wallman said. "However, if we play well we will be in the mix and have a good shot to win."\nThe "very good teams" joining the Hoosiers in the tournament are Big Ten powers Michigan State, Ohio State and host Michigan, as well as Baylor University, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Oklahoma, Southern Methodist University and the University of Toledo.\nIU has competed in two tournaments so far. It opened the season at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wisc., and posted the Hoosiers' first win in four years at the event. The cream and crimson followed that up with a seventh-place finish at the Lady Northern Invitational in East Lansing, Mich. This tournament also saw the coming out party of IU freshman Kellye Belcher, who placed a career-high second.\nCompeting in this week's tournament for IU will be Belcher, fellow freshmen Anita Gahir and Laura Nochta, sophomore Tara Boone and junior Elaine Harris.\nWhile the other four players have competed in IU's first two tournaments, Boone will be making her season debut this weekend after competing in five tournaments last year.\n"I am very excited about this weekend," Boone said. "I am not in the least bit nervous and am thrilled to finally represent Indiana in a tournament this year."\nAfter placing 10th and 28th in the first two tournaments this year, Nochta is very confident this course will suit her abilities perfectly.\n"This course fits well for my game, and I have practiced hard and am ready to go," she said.\nWallman looks to take the mistakes IU learned from two weekends ago and apply them to this weekend. \n"I think our previous tournaments can be used as a guide for this one," he said. "If we putt better than (we did) at Michigan State we will be in great shape and ready to go"