Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Women's Golf Team Set for MAC Championship
April 24, 2003 | Women's Golf
April 24, 2003
Bowling Green, Ohio -
The Bowling Green State University women's golf team will compete this weekend at the 2003 Mid-American Conference Golf Championship, April 25-27, at Walden Ponds Golf Club in Indian Springs, Ohio.
Walden Ponds, roughly 30 minutes north of Cincinnati, Ohio, is in its fourth year of hosting the MAC Championships. The conference schools rotate as hosts of the three-day event, which is in its fifth year. This year's championship is being hosted by the University of Toledo.
BGSU senior Shelley Binzel leads the team heading into the championship with a 78.35 average in 20 rounds this season, which betters her school record of 79.82 set in 22 rounds last year. Binzel's average ranks her 10th in the MAC. She recently carded a two-round score of 154 at the Western Michigan Bronco Invitational (March 13-14) and won a playoff round for a second-place finish. Binzel is on pace to finish her career with the all-time lowest average in BGSU history. Currently, she has a 79.70 average in 100 career rounds. Laura Broadment (1985-88) holds the record with a career average of 81.6.
Right behind Binzel, by just nine strokes, is junior Jenny Schnipke with a season average of 78.80 in 20 rounds. Schnipke is ranked 11th in the MAC. She has had three-straight top-20 finishes in the last three tournaments for the Falcons while she ended the fall season with a first-place finish at the Eastern Kentucky Invitational, carding a school-record two-round score of 145. In that tournament, she tied a 15-year school record for 18 holes with a score of 70.
In addition to Binzel, other players who will be competing in their final tournament as a Falcon will be seniors Stephanie Elsea and Emily Hassen. Elsea is third on the team with a 83.95 season average in 20 rounds. Her best season finish came at the Lady Falcon Invitational, Sept. 21-22 (11th place) while her best two-round score came Sept. 7-8 at the Ball State Cardinal Classic (155). Hassen is fifth on the team with a 85.71 average in 14 rounds. She shot a two-round career low just two weeks ago at the WMU Bronco Invitational with a score of 163, finishing tied for 10th place.
The fifth golfer for the Falcons at the MAC Championship will be freshman Amanda Schroeder. Schroeder is sixth on the team with a season average of 86.58 in 17 rounds.
BGSU finished sixth out of eight teams in 2002 at the MAC Championship with a three-round score of 990. Schnipke finished tied for sixth place (236) while Binzel was tied for 16th place (245) at last year's MAC tournament.
Practice rounds begin today, Thursday, at 11:30 a.m., while the first day of championship play will begin on Friday, April 25, at 8 a.m.
MAC Tournament Quick Facts... Three rounds (54 holes) Friday, April 25 - First round begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 26 - Second round begins at 8 a.m. Sunday, April 27 - Third round begins at 8 a.m. Course: Walden Ponds (par 72 - 5,834 yard course) Nine teams competing 2002 MAC Champion - Kent StatePrevious Falcon Finishes at MAC Championship... Shelley Binzel, Senior 2002 T-16th, 245 2001 8th, 234 2000 11th, 238
Stephanie Elsea, Senior 2002 T-24th, 250 2001 T-23rd, 245 2000 T-37th, 260
Emily Hassen, RS-Senior 2002 DNP 2001 32nd, 260 2000 DNP
Jenny Schnipke, Junior 2002 T-6th, 236 2001 6th, 229
