Feb. 16, 2006

Baja, Mexico--- Northern Illinois University's women's golf team managed to avoid letting their eight shot second round lead over Marshall University slip away. The Huskies were able to rely on their senior leadership as Jackie Bailey (Decatur / Warrensburg-Latham) and Jackie Heslop (Pequot Lakes, MN) led NIU with scores of 251 and 252, respectively. The disappointing finish was to be expected as the Huskies continue to work the rust off of the Midwestern winter. Stephanie Ruiz and the University of Nebraska took home the individual and team titles. Ruiz led the Huskers and the field with a 227 finish while UN edged out Brigham Young University 928-932.

"For our first time out since October I think we did okay," said NIU head coach Pam Tyska. "We had some highlights and this was a great opportunity to get some of the rust off before the spring break trip."

Bailey led the way for the Huskies, firing a second round 77, the fourth best round of the day. The strong play from the Huskies' starting five comes as no surprise. The thawing process might take a little longer for the younger Huskies who are not used to the quick turnaround from winter. On the bright side, freshman Nicci Schultz (Somonauk) finished in the top-40 of the field with a 267 total, 14 shots better than the next closest opponent. The tournament provided an excellent opportunity to get the majority of the Northern Illinois roster into the field, as the Huskies traveled 10 golfers.

"This was an opportunity of a lifetime for our team," added coach Tyska. "It was a great experience even if the Pacific Ocean provided interesting possibilities for big numbers."

All-in-all the trip out west was a successful experience for the Huskies who return to action when they host the NIU Springlake Invitational at Springlake Golf Resort in Seabring, FL, March 10th and 11th.

(For further information, please contact Daniel Solow) -NIU-

Top Individuals (Final Score)
1. Stephanie Ruiz (NU) 75-73-75-223
2. Rachel Newren (BYU) 76-74-77-227
3. Elli Brown (NU) 73-79-79-231
4. Chrissie McArdle (NU) 78-78-78-234
5. Ashley Childres (BYU) 78-81-76-235
6. Danielle Von Arnim (BYU) 78-78-80-236
Julie Wightman (BYU) 75-79-82-236
8. Taryn Durham (MTSU) 85-76-77-238
9. Maggie McGill (MTSU) 84-79-77-240
10. Jackie Beste (UN) 83-79-79-241

NIU Finishers (Final Score)
1. Jackie Bailey 88-77-86-251
2. Jackie Heslop 85-97-80-252
3. Lisa Bailey 84-87-84-255
4. Abbie Many 92-85-85-263
5. Nicci Schultz 93-82-92-267
6. Ashley Lods 97-97-87-281
7. Anne Senn 102-92-95-289
8. Jackie Bobrowicz 104-101-95-300
9. Lynzee Gumm 104-102-100-306
10. Christina Kinney 101-110-102-313

Top Teams (Final Score)
1. Nebraska 309-309-310-928
2. BYU 307-312-313-932
3. MTSU 332-318-313-963
4. USM 330-328-343-1001
5. EKU 343-335-331-1009
6. NIU 349-331-336-1016
7. Marshall 343-345-337-1025