Huskers Battle B1G Field at Lady Buckeye

The Nebraska women’s golf team closes its regular-season tournament schedule by taking on a 14-team field loaded with 13 Big Ten teams at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, April 15-16.

The tournament on the 6,319-yard, par-72 layout at the Scarlet Course features every Big Ten  team except No. 14 Northwestern, as the field prepares for the upcoming Big Ten Championship in Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 21-23). The hosts from Ohio State enter the Lady Buckeye as the highest ranked team in the Golfweek rankings, coming in at No. 31. No. 33 Maryland, No. 37 Michigan State, No. 40 Michigan, No. 42 Kent State, No. 44 Purdue and No. 46 Nebraska join the Buckeyes among seven teams in the field ranked in the top 50. No. 53 Illinois, No. 61 Minnesota and No. 68 Penn State are eager to climb in the national rankings, while No. 85 Wisconsin, No. 101 Rutgers, No. 109 Iowa and No. 125 Indiana round out the tournament field.

The Huskers will participate in Friday’s practice round in Columbus before tournament play begins with a shotgun start for 36 holes on Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 a.m. (CT). The Lady Buckeye concludes with Sunday’s final round beginning with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. (CT). Live scoring for the six-count-four tournament will be available through GolfStat.com.

True freshman Kelli Ann Strand (Challis, Idaho) continues to lead Nebraska with a team-best 71.69 stroke average, which is on pace for a school record. She owns six top-10 finishes and 17 rounds better than par this season. She heads to Ohio ranked No. 123 nationally by GolfStat and No. 114 by Golfweek. 

Graduate student Megan Whittaker continues to be the model of consistency in the Husker lineup with top-35 finishes in all 10 tournaments this year, including a career-best sixth-place finish to help the Huskers to a team title at the season-opening Green Wave Classic. Whittaker owns a career-best 72.71 stroke average, which has helped her to a No. 192 ranking by GolfStat and No. 213 from Golfweek. She owns five top-20 showings on the year. 

Miu Takahashi won the Dale McNamara individual title and owns four top-10 finishes on the year. The sophomore from Nasu-Machi, Japan has trimmed her stroke average to 72.81, trailing only Strand and Whittaker among the Huskers. Takahashi ranks just outside the top 200 players in Division I according to GolfStat (219) and Golfweek (221). 

Juniors Lindsey Thiele (74.20), Michaela Vavrova (75.13) and Andrea Velez (76.88) round out Nebraska’s six-count-four lineup at the Lady Buckeye.

Lady Buckeye Invitational

April 15-16, 2023

Host: Ohio State

Scarlet Course (Par 72, 6,319 Yards)

Schedule

Saturday, April 15 (Rounds 1 & 2): 7:30 a.m. (shotgun)

Sunday, April 16 (Round 3): 7:30 a.m. (shotgun)

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

14 Participating Teams (Golfweek Ranking)

Illinois (53)

Indiana (125)

Iowa (109)

Kent State (42)

Maryland (33)

Michigan (40)

Michigan State (37)

Minnesota (61)

Nebraska (46)

Ohio State (31)

Purdue (44)

Penn State (68)

Rutgers (101)

Wisconsin (85)

Nebraska Lineup (6 count 4)

1. Megan Whittaker

2. Lindsey Thiele

3. Miu Takahashi

4. Kelli Ann Strand

5. Michaela Vavrova

6. Andrea Velez