All conference teams to meet at Lady Northern Invitational

The IU women’s golf team will get an early taste of the Big Ten Championships on Sunday and Monday when it plays in Madison, Wis., for the Lady Northern Invitational.

The field includes all 11 teams from the Big Ten conference and the invitational will be played at University Ridge Golf Course, which is also the site of the 2010 Big Ten Championship played April 23 to 25.

The Hoosiers will focus on improving in two main areas for the Lady Northern.

“Our lag putting is not very good right now, and going into that golf course you have to have good lag putting,” IU coach Clint Wallman said. “Second, our scoring wedges and making conversions is kind of our focus of the week.”

Each year, the host school of the Big Ten Championships in the spring has the Lady Northern in the fall at its home course to give the teams and players a preview of what to expect later in the year.

“The main purpose of this week is to get prepared for the Big Ten Championships in the spring and to get familiar with the course,” senior Laura Nochta said.

The Hoosiers have played  the University Ridge Golf Course before in the Badger Invitational two of the last three years.

Seniors Kellye Belcher, Anita Gahir  and Nochta helped lead the Hoosiers to the Badger Invitational title as freshmen in 2006.  Belcher, Gahir and Nochta all finished in the top 12 that week, individually, helping the Hoosiers to a 10-stroke victory.

The three seniors will be joined in the lineup by freshman Pamela Burneski and junior Cecilia Orevik, giving the Hoosiers the same lineup they took to New Mexico last weekend. Freshman Katie Coons will be making her collegiate debut this week, competing as an individual.

Wallman said the main goal heading into this weekend is for the team to play its own game and finish the tournament strong.

“The last two tournaments, we haven’t closed well,” Wallman said. “I don’t know if that is fatigue or the balance of school, but, hopefully, we can finish stronger this week.”