Maryland Women's Golf Team Prepares To Kick Off 2002 Season
2/8/2002 7:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Feb. 8, 2002
Coming off a strong fall season with two top-10 team finishes the Maryland women's golf program looks to steadily improve upon last year's solid play during the spring season of the team's third year.
The team boasts considerable depth, consisting of one senior, four juniors, four sophomores and one freshman. The Terps will look to team captain, junior Erin Clasper, to provide leadership for the team both on and off the course.
Junior Carter Crowther emerged as fall's top golfer, averaging just over 78 strokes per round. Crowther finished the Lady Pirate Fall Intercollegiate in eighth place, the first top-10 finish of her career. "Carter had the best summer and it's no coincidence she had the best fall," said head coach Jason Rodenhaver.
Also boasting a top-10 finish during the fall was sophomore Katie Redeker, with a 10th-place finish in the Unlimited Potential/Baytree Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. She also carded her season best of 74 in the last round of that tournament.
Marie Harper, a sophomore, tied her career-best round of 74 in the third round of the Dodge ACC/SEC Invitational Shootout in Destin, Fla.
Rodenhaver, who is in his third year as the Terps' head coach, expects Crowther, Harper and Redeker to be standing members of the five-person travel squad for the spring's tournaments, leaving the Nos. 4 and 5 spots open for competition. The trio each carded a 74 at least once in the four fall tournaments. Rodenhaver expects competition for the final two positions to be between junior Jennifer Gibson, sophomores Kara Gropler and Stacey Wolejko and freshman Kristen Shew.
The team suffered a setback when a tornado ripped through College Park and damaged their home practice course and driving range on Sept. 24. The team missed two days of practice before the Dodge ACC/SEC Invitational and was without a driving range for six weeks in the fall.
Rodenhaver intentionally chose a more challenging schedule for the fall 2001 than the team had played in past seasons. The addition of the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate and the Dodge ACC/SEC Invitational Shootout resulted in a higher caliber of play that the women had not faced in previous seasons. This spring's schedule will prove to be another intentionally challenging season. "Tournaments hosted by UNC-Wilmington and James Madison will be tough fields," said Rodenhaver.
As for competition within the Atlantic Coast Conference, "Duke is head and shoulders above the rest," said Rodenhaver. Last year, the Blue Devils finished second in the NCAA tournament, with Wake Forest and North Carolina also participating in the tournament. "Our goal is to finish the ACC tournament in fourth place," said Rodenhaver.
The Terps will open their third spring season on Feb.24-26 at the Edwin Watts/Carolina's Invitational, at Southern Pines, N.C.
