Michigan State Closes Fall Season Among Nation's Elite
11/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Nov. 17, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's golf team completed its five-tournament fall schedule ranked No. 19 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, recording four top-five finishes and a win at the Lady Northern Invitational. The Spartans posted seven wins against top-25 opponents and a 15-3-1 record against Big Ten opponents. In the Spartans' final fall outing, MSU defeated No. 13 Arizona, No. 6 Auburn and played hole for hole with No. 3 Duke and No. 1 Georgia at the Hooters Match Play Championship.
"We had a great fall and will look to build on this success in the off season and into the spring," said head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. "We are showing that Michigan State is going to field nationally competitive teams year after year, instead of having a good team here and there. It is always our goal to be ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the country."
The Spartan lineup remained consistent throughout the fall, as four players played in all five tournaments. MSU's top four featured junior Sara Brown, freshman Laura Kueny, and seniors Heather Rose and Mandi McConnell, while senior Rachel Meikle and junior Jordyn Wells split time as the Spartans' fifth player.
Ranked No. 23 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, Brown led MSU with four top-20 finishes, including the first collegiate win of her career at the Landfall Tradition. Her 74-69-72 for a 1-under 215 tied the third-best 54-hole score in school history and her second-round 69 was a career best. It was also the first time an MSU women's golfer had claimed medalist honors since Allison Fouch won back-to-back tournaments in 2003. In total, Brown carded six wins over top-25 players throughout the season, including three victories over top-50 opponents at the Hooters Match Play Championship. She has finished in the top 25 in her last 15 tournaments.
"One of Sara's goals is to play on the LPGA," Slobodnik-Stoll stated. "She played very well at the end of the fall. A goal for her is going to be the ability to score under par on a consistent basis."
Rose started the season with back-to-back top-five finishes at the Lady Northern Invitational and Wolverine Invitational, and completed the fall with a 75.92 scoring average. Ranked No. 94, Rose faced four top-50 golfers at the Hooters Match Play Championship, and halved the second-ranked Taylor Leon in MSU's final match against top-ranked Georgia.
Kueny has had an immediate impact in her short time at Michigan State. In her first collegiate tournament, the Landfall Tradition, Kueny led the Spartans with a fourth-place finish, helping the Green and White capture the team title. Kueny also recorded a top-10 finish, placing eighth, at the Landfall Tradition and has the second-best stroke average on the team at 75.75. She picked up a crucial win in the tie-breaker match at the Hooters' Match Play Championships, allowing the Spartans to advance past No. 6 Auburn. Kueny posted a 3-1 record at the Hooters Match Play Championship and finished the fall ranked No. 86.
"Laura is just a fabulous player," Slobodnik-Stoll stated. "The game is just fun for her, which makes her really fun to coach. She is already golfing beyond her years, and I'm not sure Laura realizes how good she can be, she is only going to get better."
McConnell completed MSU's top-four rotation and opened the season with the best performance of her career, posting a fifth-place finish at the Lady Northern Invitational. She concluded play with a 77.08 stroke average.
Meikle and Wells rounded out Michigan State's fall rotation. Meikle competed in three tournaments, while Wells made two starts and played as an individual at the Lady Northern Invitational.
Breaking for the off-season, Slobodnik-Stoll notes that many of her golfers will be competing as individuals over the winter months at various holiday tournaments. As a team, Michigan State will kick off its spring schedule on Feb. 12-14, 2007, at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif.
Players Mentioned
