Upstate Makes Short Trip To Winthrop U. Intercollegiate
3/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
March 19, 2009
Tournament Notes in PDF Format
Spartanburg, S.C. - The USC Upstate women's golf team makes the short trip to Rock Hill, S.C., to take part in the Winthrop University Intercollegiate this weekend. The 54-hole tournament will be played at the Rock Hill Country Club and will have 18 holes of golf each day Friday-Sunday. The tournament is the fifth in a span of 26 days for the Spartans. Recaps and stats for each day of play can be found at www.upstatespartans.com, the official Web site of Upstate Athletics.
Looking Back At The EKU El Diablo
Richelle Wedzik carded a pair of 77 rounds to finish as the low Spartan in the EKU El Diablo Intercollegiate last weekend in Citrus Springs, Fla. Her performance helped lead Upstate to a sixth-place finish in the 15-team tournament. Wedzik finished in a tie for 14th to lead the Spartans. Jennifer Judge finished tied for 19th, while Julie Miller finished 23rd to give Upstate three players in the top-25.
Spartans Look To Capitalize On Last Week's Success
When Upstate takes to the course Friday at the Winthrop University Intercollegiate, the Spartans will look to build on the confidence gained at last week's EKU El Diablo Intercollegiate in Florida. The Spartans finished sixth in the tournament, the second-best finish this season behind the third-place effort in the Holiday Inn Express/Hatter Classic to end the fall season. Richelle Wedzik seemed to regain her form last week and Julie Miller and Jennifer Judge have been strong in the last three tournaments. If the Spartans can get solid scores out the four and five spots, Upstate could stay near the top of the leaderboard.
Judge Making Her Presence Felt
Jennifer Judge transferred to Upstate for the second semester and has made her presence felt in the three events she has played for the Spartans. Upstate has counted each of the seven rounds she has played. The sophomore from Hurley, Miss., has placed in the top-30 in the last two events and has finished as the second-lowest Spartan in each of the three tournaments she has played.
Wedzik, Miller Battling For Team Stroke Lead
Twin sisters Richelle and Richia Wedzik have battled each other for the team's stroke average title each of the last two seasons. However, veteran player and four-year starter Julie Miller has joined the fray this season and is pushing the Wedziks for the top spot on the team. As sophomores playing at Upstate, Richelle won the stroke average war with a 77.8 average. Last year, Richia took home the honors with a 79.7 stroke average. This season, Richelle is back on top at 79.7. Miller is just three-tenths of a stroke away from the top spot with an 80.0 stroke average, while Jennifer Judge and Richia come in at 81.1 and 81.2. Miller has tied Richelle for the team-lead this season with two top-20 finishes, though Miller and Richia own the team's only top -10 finishes on the year.
Striving To Be Better Than Average
Upstate owns a 321.0 stroke average for the season. What head coach Todd Lawton would like to see as the season winds down is the Spartans turning in rounds better than average. Upstate carded rounds of 314 and 316 last week to get on track and claim a sixth-place finish in the 15-team EKU El Diablo Intercollegiate. To date, Upstate has shot lower than 321 nine times including a school record 299 in the season-opening Great Smokies Collegiate.
The Iron Women
Three Spartans - Julie Miller, Richelle Wedzik and Richia Wedzik - have played in all eight tournaments and 21 rounds this season for Upstate.
Seniors Winding Down Their Careers
Upstate head coach Todd Lawton will have to do some heavy recruiting to fill the void left by the six-member senior class who are winding down their careers at Upstate. Julie Miller, Audrey Church, Anna Hastings and Jessica Wofford are founding members of the Upstate women's golf program and have been integral leaders from day one. Sisters Richelle and Richia Wedzik have been in the program for three seasons. Together, the six have proven to be the backbone of the program.
