Feb. 11, 2011
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State women's golf team looks to overcome the rankings Sunday through Tuesday, as the Redbirds compete in the 54-hole UCF Challenge at the 6,319, Par-72 RedTail Golf Club in Sorrento, Fla.
ISU will tee off against the field of 17 teams with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. (CT), Sunday and Monday, and at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday. The teams will play 18 holes each day of the tournament.
Of the 17 competing schools, GolfStat has ranked Illinois State in 17th place, with Tulane, Texas and Ole Miss compiling the top three positions.
Illinois State's lineup includes Hannah Bachman, Katie Jean, Terra Miller, Brianna Cooper and Rachel Powers.
Head coach Darby Sligh believes the Redbirds will outperform expectations.
"I believe I can speak for everyone on this team in saying that we are extremely eager to return to warmer weather," Sligh said. "This will be one of the strongest fields we will play in, and it is an honor to be invited to this prestigious event. Competitively, we have a long road ahead of us this next week and I know that we are prepared to the best of our ability to will compete as hard as we can from start to finish. I am looking for everyone to step up and start solidifying themselves in the line-up leading into our spring championship."
GolfStat ranks the competing schools: Tulane (14), Texas (16), Ole Miss (31), South Carolina (35), Minnesota (41), East Carolina (47), Baylor (49), Kentucky (57), UT-San Antonio (59), Georgia State (62), Kennesaw State (63), Augusta State (65), Coastal Carolina (68), Memphis (80), South Florida (103), UCF (113) and Illinois State (128).
The 2010 UCF Challenge team champion was Texas A&M with the individual championship won by Texas A&M's Julie Boland.
Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com and complete stats will be available on GoRedbirds.com at the completion of each round.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
