Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Sports

After a 10-day break in play, Northwestern heads to the Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio to compete in the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational.

The invitational, which begins April 19, will be the Wildcats' last tournament before the Big Ten championships, held later this month in University Park, Pa.

The Cats last outing at the Indiana Invitational resulted in a ninth-place finish. Despite the less than impressive outcome, NU coach Chris Regenberg appeared somewhat encouraged by the team's performance.

"I think our team was trying very hard to make a move in the third round (of the Indiana Invitational) and got frustrated early when it wasn't happening," Regenberg said. "We had a relatively good round with a lot of promise to it. Jennifer (Hong), Brittany (Johnston), and Katie (Trachok) all played well."

The Cats will need more of the same from junior Hong and seniors Johnston and Trachok to be competitive at the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational.

"It has been a long time since all three upperclassmen have played well in the same round and it is what we need to feel competitive against Ohio State and Michigan State," Regenberg said.

NU will be facing seven of its conference foes, including Michigan State and host Ohio State. The Cats are currently fifth in the Big Ten and 62nd in the nation, while Spartans and Buckeyes sit at 15th and 42nd, respectively.

Despite their lower ranking, the Cats said they believe they have an advantage in the upcoming invitational.

"The freshman have not had the experience of playing (previous) courses like the older players but this may change as we go to Ohio State because all of our players know that golf course. I think the upperclassman may feel less pressured by this going into OSU."

Senior Kerry Burke also stressed the importance of the team's past experience on the Scarlet Course.

"Many of us have played on the course in previous years. It is helpful to know the layout, what clubs to use and when to take short cuts," Burke said. "We have been working hard on wet grass and in poor weather conditions and this will also help us going into this weekend."

Performing well this weekend will be crucial for the Cats as they look to qualify for the NCAA tournament. NU enters the weekend with an overall record of 53-62-1 (.461), and it needs to finish with a winning percentage above .500 to be eligible.

Trachok, who tied for 21st place at the invitational last year, said she knows the implications of playing well this weekend, not just to stay in contention for the NCAA tournament, but to keep the team's confidence up heading towards the Big Ten championships.

"It is really important for us to have a good showing in order to make postseason play," Trachok said, "and it would give us the momentum (we need) to have a strong performance at the conference tournament."

j-drabinsky@northwestern.edu

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