Pairings for play on the first day are determined by team stroke averages. The top four 18-hole scores on courses of at least 5,800 yards will be used to determine team stroke averages. Players from the three teams with the lowest stroke average (Wartburg, Central Luther) will play together as will players from the fourth, fifth and sixth ranked teams (Simpson, Coe, Buena Vista) and players from the seventh, eighth and ninth ranked teams (Loras, Cornell, Dubuque).  

 

Pairings for play in rounds two, three, and four will be based on each teams’ score position from the previous day.

 

Each school may enter five players for each round with the four best performances each day used to determine the team score.

 

AQ on the Line: In 2007, the NCAA expanded the size of the field for the Division III Women’s Golf Championship and will again award automatic bids to qualifying conferences. The Iowa Conference women’s golf champion will be the IIAC’s automatic qualifier to the 2011 NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship scheduled for May 10-13, 2011, at the Mission Inn Resort El Campeon Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Oglethorpe University is the host institution.

 

About the 2010 Season: Three Iowa Conference schools have posted top-three finishes in a tournament this fall. Central and Wartburg each have one tournament title to their credit this season with the Knights winning the season opening Buena Vista Fall Invitational and Central taking the crown at the Loras Fall Invitational. Simpson has finished third twice—at Buena Vista and at Loras. The Knights have the top team stroke average (348.1) followed by Luther (365.0) and Central (373.8).

 

Individually, Wartburg’s Jordan Galles has the top stroke average (83.3 average in six rounds) and has a low round of 75 along with two rounds of 82 and an 83. Galles is trailed by teammates Kelsi Sawatzky (86.5 average in eight rounds) and Paige Klostermann (86.8 in eight rounds) and Buena Vista’s Kylie Hammer (87.3 in six rounds). Central’s Kaurie Kincaid (89.1 in eight rounds) rounds out the top-five, ranking percentage points ahead of Luther’s Laura Davis (89.5 in six rounds) and Katie Gaudian (89.7 in six rounds), and Central teammates Ali Miller (89.9 in eight rounds) and Allison Crooks (90.3 in eight rounds).

 

Wartburg’s Galles and Central’s Kincaid each have a pair of top-10 finishes and have captured medalist honors once this season, Galles at the Buena Vista Invitational and Kincaid at the Loras Invitational. Coe’s Kayla Koschmeder posted the low round in a season-opening dual with Cornell.

 

Galles has four of the Conference’s 10 lowest rounds this fall, shooting the conference’s low round with a 75 at the Buena Vista Fall Invitational. She also shot 82-83 at the Division III Midwest Classic, and posted an 82 at the NCAA Division III Preview meet in Florida. Klosterman has three rounds at 83 or under, including rounds of 81 and 82 en route to a sixth-place finish at the 19-team Wartburg Invitational. It was the best finish by an IIAC golfer at the meet. She also shot an 83 on the final day of the Buena Vista Invitational. Wartburg’s Kelsi Sawatzky shot an 80 on the way to a third-place finish at Buena Vista, while teammate Rebecca Lewis fired an 81 to close that meet in fourth place. Buena Vista’s Kylie Hammer is the only non-Knight with a score in the top ten, an 81 she fired on day two of the Wartburg Invite on her way to a tie for ninth place.

 

Complete team and individual scoring averages can be found in this week's weekly report.

 

2009 Championship Recap: Wartburg College shot a final round 330 in cold, wet conditions at Oneota Golf and Country Club to finish the 72-hole Championship at a Championship record score of 1,286 (311-314-331-330) and capture its fifth Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Women’s Golf Championship in six years. Central sophomore Sarah Paulson took home individual medalist honors for the second consecutive year with a 72-hole Championship record total of 300 (73-72-73-82) and was named IIAC Women’s Golfer of the Year.

 

Behind Ellen Rickert, who posted the low round of the day with a 4-over-par 76, the Knights were able to fire the day's low team score of 330 and take the title by 17 strokes. Central posted a final day 344 en route to a runner-up finish for the second consecutive year. Simpson (335-322-343-343—1,343) and host Luther (337-332-355-343—1,367) each fired final round 343s to place third and fourth, respectively.

 

Paulson’s 72-hole Championship record 300 total surpassed the 306 set by Buena Vista' Jen Stork in 2006 and tied by Paulson last season. She finished seven strokes ahead of Rickert (74-74-83-76), who led three Knights in the top-10. Luther's Emily Looft (80-81-85-78—324) took third, one shot ahead of Wartburg's Daina Deery (78-79-83-85—325) and two clear of Wartburg's Jordan Galles (80-80-83-83—326). Simpson's Katie Vaux (82-80-80-85—330) placed sixth to finish in the top 10 for the fourth time in her career. Central's Eva Downes (81-77-87-85—330) finished seventh for the second consecutive season, while Simpson teammates Megan Smith (83-77-86-87—333) and Taylor Hillery (83-80-89-82—334) took eighth and ninth, respectively. Central's Nicole Wenstrand (87-75-84-90—336) rounded out the top 10.

 

Teammates Vaux and Smith became four-time All-Conference honorees with their finishes. Vaux placed fourth in 2006, ninth in 2007, and third in 2008, while Smith was ninth in 2006, fourth in 2007, and tenth in 2008. Paulson, Deery, Downes, and Looft each earned All-Conference honors for the second time.

 

Central coach Jodee Schaben was named Iowa Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Schaben led the Dutch to their second consecutive runner-up finish, the school's best finish since a runner-up finish in 1993.

 

Top Returning Individuals: Seven of the top-20 finishers from 2009 return have been entered in this year’s Conference Championship with Galles being the lone All-Conference performer (top-10 finish). Galles placed fifth a year ago and also has a tie for 16th place at the 2007 Championship to her credit.

 

Other returning top-20 finishers from 2009 include: Wartburg’s Kelsi Sawatzky (t-11th, 337) and Rebecca Lewis (14th, 341), Luther’s Kate Traxler (t-11th, 337), Central’s Kaurie Kincaid (13th, 339), Buena Vista’s Kylie Hammer (15th, 342), and Cornell’s Na Ra Pak (t-17th, 349). In addition, Wartburg’s Paige Klostermann tied for 12th (342) in her only previous Championship appearance in 2008.

 

Probable Line-ups: Probable line-ups for the Conference Championship are listed below. Teams with more than five golfers are still holding competition to determine its Championship line-up. Players in bold have previously competed in the Iowa Conference Championship.

 

Buena Vista   Kylie Hammer, Kylie Woodley, Lauren Doherty, Nora Seda, Megan Sweeney

Central            Kaurie Kincaid, Ali Miller, Ashley Smith, Allison Crooks, Molli O’Brien

Coe                  Kayla Koschmeder, Kristi Boner, Chelsea Crain, Amber Suhr, Erin Rowan

Cornell            Amanda Houts, Na Ra Pak, Nikki Thompson, Malloy Kerley, Molly Landeen

Dubuque        Ashten Henningsen, Kathryn (Alex) Hoye, Lynn Nehl, Lauren Allen, Tia Fuhr

Loras               Abby Potts, Kathryn Belanger, Megan Gregg, Christina Jackson, Shayna Siegert

Luther              Katie Gaudian, Kate Traxler, Laura Davis, Krista Gulstrand, Tess Spindler

Simpson         Kayla Miller, Stacy Bergeson, Molly Hill, Chelsy Manny, Jenni Stumpf

Wartburg         Jordan Galles, Kelsi Sawatzky, Paige Klostermann, Rebecca Lewis, Amy Kobliska

 

Previous IIAC women’s golf Championship results can be found at: