Feb. 20, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State women's golf team will travel to Kiawah Island, S.C., for its second tournament of the spring campaign Sunday through Tuesday when the Redbirds compete in the 46-team, three-day Kiawah Island Classic. The tournament will be held on the Cougar Point and Oak Point Golf Courses.
Cougar Point is 6,009 yards with a par-72, while the Oak Point course is a par-72 over 5, 907 yards.
The Redbirds will be led by senior Marci Hill, who was named the Missouri Valley Conference Golfer of the Week Wednesday.
The field of 46 teams will be divided over the two courses. The top-23 teams will begin the first day at Cougar Point, while the other 23 teams will compete at Oak Point. On the second day of the tournament, the teams will switch courses. For the final round of the tournament, the teams will be divided again with the top-23 teams competing at Cougar Point, while the remaining 23 teams will finish the tournament at Oak Point.
Illinois State is predicted to finish within the top-23 teams. The tournament rankings are based on each team's ranking within their conferences and GolfStat.
"This is a big week for ISU women's golf," said head coach Darby Sligh. "The field at Kiawah is incredibly strong. If ever there was a time for us to step up to the plate, it would be now. I'm looking for big things from the entire team. No one can sit back and coast to the finish line this week. They have prepared well, so I'm excited to see how big they come through."
The Redbirds that are traveling to compete in the Kiawah Island Classic are seniors Hill and Tiffany Hockensmith, along with juniors Laura Harris, Stacey Miller and Marisa Milligan.
Illinois State will be competing against 45 other schools, which include Valley rivals Bradley, Missouri State and Southern Illinois.
The first tee times are set to begin at 8 a.m. CST Sunday with assigned tee times. ISU will compete in first-round action at the Cougar Point Golf Course.
To follow Illinois State women's golf or Redbird Athletics online, please visit GoRedbirds.com or Twitter.com/ISURedbirds.
