Huskers Open Season at Wolverine Invite

The Nebraska women’s golf team opens its 2021 fall campaign by traveling to Ann Arbor for the Wolverine Invitational hosted by Michigan on Sept. 13-14.

Golfers from 16 schools will participate in Sunday’s practice round before taking the course for the first round on Monday, Sept. 13, beginning with a shotgun start at 7:45 a.m. (CT). The second round will follow in continuous play on Monday, before the final round is set for Tuesday, Sept. 14 with a shotgun start again at 7:45 a.m. (CT). Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com.

The loaded 16-team field in Michigan features 12 teams that qualified for 2021 NCAA Regional play, including seven teams and the hosts from the Columbus Regional – Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, Washington, Kent State, Kentucky and Ohio State. The 2021 Stanford Regional participants include Northwestern, Iowa State and Stanford, while Louisville and Xavier competed at the 2021 Louisville Regional. Notre Dame, Indiana and Toledo round out Michigan’s field.

Nebraska tied Michigan for second at the 2021 Big Ten Championship – the best conference finish by the Huskers since taking second at the 1984 Big Eight Championship. Northwestern finished fifth at the Big Ten Championship, while Illinois took ninth and Indiana settled for 13th. Ohio State did not compete because of a self-imposed postseason ban. 

Nebraska’s Kate Smith captured the Big Ten title, while fellow fifth-year senior Alice Duan added an 11th-place conference finish. The Huskers return Kirsten Baete, Megan Whittaker, Michaela Vavrova and Lindsey Thiele from last year’s Big Ten lineup. They are joined by Japanese freshman Miu Takahashi in NU’s five-player lineup at the Wolverine Invitational.

Wolverine Invitational

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Host: Michigan

Course: University of Michigan Golf Course (Par 71, 6,232 Yards)

Schedule:

First & Second Rounds – Monday, Sept. 13 (Shotgun) – 7:45 a.m. (CT)

Final Round – Tuesday, Sept. 14 (Tee Times) – 7:45 a.m. (CT)

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Participating Teams (16)     

Illinois         

Indiana

Iowa State

Kent State

Kentucky

Louisville

Michigan

Nebraska

Northwestern

Notre Dame    

Ohio State

Toledo

Washington

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Xavier

Nebraska Lineup

1. Kirsten Baete

2. Lindsey Thiele

3. Megan Whittaker

4. Miu Takahashi

5. Michaela Vavrova

Experienced Huskers Plan to Build on History-Making 2021 Season

Coach Lisa Johnson looks to complete her first full season as Nebraska’s head coach in her third overall season in Lincoln. Johnson’s first year at Nebraska ended abruptly in 2019-20 because of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020-21, Big Ten schools did compete as teams during the fall campaign, but Johnson led the Huskers to one of the best spring seasons in school history. 

Powered by 2021 Big Ten Champion Kate Smith, the Huskers stormed to a tie for second at the Big Ten Championship – Nebraska’s best conference tournament finish since 1984 (2nd, Big Eight).

The Huskers earned their 12th NCAA Regional bid in school history, hearing their name called for the first time since 2008.

Nebraska tied for 15th in the 18-team Columbus Regional, and the returning collection of Huskers are hoping to build on the success of 2020-21.

Although All-American Kate Smith and graduate Alice Duan are both gone from the Big Red lineup, the Huskers return four of their top six golfers from the 2021 Big Ten Championship run.

Kirsten Baete (T16, 218) and Megan Whittaker (T18, 219) lead Nebraska’s lineup on and off the course as experienced veterans. Michaela Vavrova and Lindsey Thiele were also major contributors in their first seasons at Nebraska in 2020-21 and could be poised to show significant gains in their games.

All-American Smith Etches Name in Husker Golf History in 2021 

Kate Smith won Nebraska’s first-ever Big Ten women’s golf individual title and the Huskers produced their best conference finish since a runner-up finish in the Big Eight in 1984, as the Huskers tied for second at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio.

Smith tied her own school record with a final-round 64 (-8) to finish at 207 (-9) to defeat runner-up Irene Kim from Northwestern by three strokes. Smith became Nebraska’s first conference champion since Sarah Sasse won the Big 12 in 2003. Smith is just the third individual champion in school history, also joining Big Eight champ Rachelle Tacha in 1996.

Smith went on to earn third-team All-America honors from Golfweek after capturing honorable-mention accolades from the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA).

She also became the first Husker in history to represent Nebraska at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, before becoming the first Husker golfer (men’s or women’s) to represent Nebraska at the Palmer Cup. She went 3-1 to help Team USA to a 33-27 win over the International collegians.

Smith is pursuing a professional career and recently advanced to Stage II of qualifying at LPGA Q School. She will compete in Stage II at the Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice, Fla. (Oct. 18-24).

Baete, Whittaker to Provide Leadership for 2021 Huskers 

Kirsten Baete, who enters her fifth season in the program, owns Nebraska’s top returning scoring average from last season. The Beatrice, Neb., native helped spark Nebraska’s late-season run in 2021 with her fourth-place individual finish at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate. She was a major contributor to the Huskers’ team title.

Baete added a final-round 70 (-2) to help the Big Red surge to a tie for second at the Big Ten Championship, as she tied for 16th individually with a season-best 218. She also won the Nebraska Women’s Match Play Championship to highlight a solid summer of preparation for the 2021-22 campaign.

Fourth-year Husker and fellow Nebraskan Megan Whittaker was also a major player in NU’s postseason push a year ago. The second generation Husker from Elkhorn tied for 18th at the Big Ten Championship with a season-best 219. 

Whittaker has been a consistent three-year contributor in Nebraska’s lineup, competing in more rounds (53) than any other active Husker. A three-time WGCA Scholastic All-American alongside Baete, Whittaker is the daughter of former Husker women’s golfer Kim (Lefler) Whittaker, who was a member of Nebraska’s first-ever NCAA Regional team in 1994.

Sophomores Vavrova, Thiele Hope to Solidify Lineup 

Two more regulars in Nebraska’s 2021 spring lineup return with second-year golfers Michaela Vavrova and Lindsey Thiele. 

Vavrova, a member of the Slovakian Elite National Team, competed in all 21 rounds in the Husker lineup last season and posted Nebraska’s fourth-best stroke average (76.33). She notched three consecutive top-25 finishes at the Arizona Wildcat, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Indiana Spring Invitational tournaments. Vavrova also put up a solid 224 to tie for 33rd individually in helping Nebraska at the Big Ten Championship, before posting NU’s No. 2 finish at the NCAA Columbus Regional with her tie for 45th (229). She closed her first season in Lincoln with 16 consecutive rounds of 78 or better.

“Miška is a talented young golfer with solid length off the tee and strong course management,” Johnson said. “She doesn’t give many shots away and she doesn’t back down on the course. Her work habits are excellent, and she is also a great teammate. We think she is just tapping into her potential, and she has a really bright future as a Husker.”

Thiele competed in 15 rounds for the Huskers last season. The Wahoo, Neb., native who is the most recent of three sisters (Haley, Hannah) to play golf for the Big Red, was NU’s sixth golfer in the count-four format at the Big Ten Championship.

Thiele’s freshman season was highlighted by her tie for 23rd with a career-best 229 to help Nebraska to the team title at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate.

“Lindsey is a strong, young player with lots of potential,” Johnson said. “She certainly learned plenty about herself and her game last season in making the adjustment to college golf. She has a really good work ethic and like our other top golfers, she has a team-first attitude that helps all of our players grow more quickly.”

An outstanding student, Thiele is a Regents Scholar at the University of Nebraska and was one of six Huskers to earn WGCA Scholastic All-America honors last season.

Bouvet Working to Return to Husker Lineup in Fourth Year

While the four returning Huskers are top contenders for lineup spots, Vanessa Bouvet may also be ready for a breakout season.

A fourth-year Husker from Brunei by way of France, Bouvet had an outstanding season as a true freshman in 2018-19, posting a 75.79 stroke average over 24 rounds. A big hitter with an aggressive approach, Bouvet was unable to crack Nebraska’s lineup last season after playing just six rounds in a COVID-19 shortened campaign in 2019-20.

However, Bouvet’s game continued to improve last season and she represented Nebraska at the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, where she tied for fifth with teammate Noor Ahmed to earn a Symetra Tour Invite to the Guardian Championship.

Bouvet’s game and confidence continued to grow during the summer, and she could be poised to make an impact for the Big Red in 2021-22.

Freshmen Could Make Impacts Early in 2021-22 Husker Lineups

In addition to Nebraska’s six returning golfers, four newcomers could impact the Husker lineup in their first seasons of collegiate competition. 

One of the top young golfers in Colombia, Andrea Velez spent the 2021 spring semester in Lincoln after having her initial arrival to campus delayed by COVID-19 restrictions in the fall of 2020. 

Velez broke through on the international stage with an 11th-place finish at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship at Trump National Doral in July of 2019. She was also the 2018 Colombian Junior Champion.

Two more international newcomers also could contend for lineup time as true freshmen. Lena Hassert (Kreuzau, Germany) is a two-time Austrian Junior Stroke Play champion and a German National Championship runner-up (2017). Miu Takahashi (Nasu-machi, Japan) is one of the top young golfers in Japan, taking fifth at the Yonex Junior Golf Championship.

International Golfers Bring Diversity to Huskers

Nebraska’s 10-person roster features golfers who represent seven countries, including the United States (Kirsten Baete, Brooke Bream, Nicole Hansen, Lindsey Thiele, Megan Whittaker), Brunei & France (Vanessa Bouvet), Colombia (Andrea Velez), Germany (Lena Hassert), Japan (Miu Takahashi) and Slovakia (Michaela Vavrova).

The 2021-22 Husker team features the most diverse women’s golf roster in history. As a program, Nebraska women’s golf has included players from 14 different countries since its first season in 1975-76.

Sutherland Adds Experience to Big Red Coaching Staff

Long-time collegiate head coach Jeanne Sutherland was named the Associate Head Coach for the Husker women’s golf program on July 1, 2021.

Sutherland came to Nebraska after spending the past 10 seasons (2011-21) as the head coach at SMU. She previously spent 15 seasons as the head coach at Texas A&M (1992-2007).

In 2018, Sutherland was named the inaugural winner of the WGCA Kim Evans Award, which is presented annually to the college or high school coach, and Class A PGA Professional, whose support of the game through teaching, coaching and involvement in the community has helped ensure the continued growth of golf, and who represents the finest qualities the sport has to offer. Sutherland also earned the WGCA Founders Award in 2017.

In 2016-17, Sutherland led SMU to its fifth consecutive NCAA Regional berth after producing a runner-up finish at the American Athletic Conference Championship. She also guided the Mustangs to the highest ranking in program history at No. 20 nationally. Three Mustang golfers earned All-AAC honors in 2017.

A four-time conference coach of the year at Texas A&M (3 Big 12, 1 Southwest Conference), Sutherland was also a two-time NCAA Regional Coach of the Year (1997, 2007). She led 13 Texas A&M teams to NCAA Regional play, including four NCAA Championship appearances in 1997 (17th), 2004 (24th), 2005 (22nd) and 2006 (19th). Texas A&M captured three Big 12 team titles and Aggie golfers earned three All-America honors, four individual conference titles, three individual conference player-of-the-year awards, two newcomer-of-the-year honors and 25 all-conference accolades.

Huskers Set Pace in Classroom

Nebraska leads NCAA Division I with 347 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans all-time across all sports, including seven in 2020-21. The Huskers also lead all schools in history with 18 NCAA Top 10 Award winners across all sports. 

Nebraska women’s golf leads the nation with 87 WGCA Scholastic All-Americans since 1989, including five in 2020-21. Nebraska established a school-best 94 percent graduation rate across all student-athletes in all sports in 2020-21. Husker student-athletes also posted a spring-record combined semester GPA of 3.343.