Spartan Women's Golf Tees It Up In Mexico
2/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Feb. 10, 2008
Spartanburg, S.C. - The USC Upstate women's golf team tees it up for the first time this spring as the Spartans take on the field at the Baja Invitational in Ensenada, Mexico, Monday and Tuesday.
Playing in its first season as a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference, Upstate will participate in the tournament alongside the likes of Drake, Northern Illinois, North Texas, Southern Miss, Iowa, Bradley and Kennesaw State. The tournament, co-hosted by Southern Miss and Northern Illinois, will be played at the Bajamar Resort on the Ocean and Vista courses. The Ocean and Vista nines will combine for a 6,094 yard, par-72 test.
"The team is looking forward to a great spring and starting at the Baja Invitational is not only a challenge, but exciting as well," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "We've been fortunate to be able to practice hard leading up to the event and I feel the team is ready. The field boasts teams from some of the NCAA's best conferences including the Big Ten and Conference USA and we hope to be competitive."
Upstate is coming off of a solid fall portion of the season, finishing in the top five in three of the five tournaments it has played. The Spartans finished fourth at the Lady Monarch Invitational and well as claiming fifth-place finishes as the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational and the Rutgers Invitational.
Richelle Wedzik led the way individually for the Spartans, collecting a 77.9 stroke average with four top 20 individual finishes in five tournaments. Richia Wedzik was second on the team with a 79.1 stroke average, while Julie Miller was a solid third with a 79.9 stroke average.
"Returning all players from the team that recorded the best season stroke average in the fall is encouraging," said Lawton. "Not only are the players performing well on the course but in the classroom, too. I really feel that we are in the strongest position to compete in our short existence as a program. We are all looking forward to a solid 2008."
