April 9, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
After a two-week hiatus, the Maryland women's golf team returns to action April 12-13 at the JMU/Bonnie Hoover Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va. The tournament, the Terps' last before the ACC Championship next weekend, will take place on the par-72, 6,046-yard Lakeview Golf Course. The teams will play 36 holes on Saturday and the final 18 holes on Sunday. "We've had back-to-back good finishes, and we had a good week of practice," head coach Jason Rodenhaver said. "I think we'll be able to hold our own. It would be nice to have another good finish and be able to carry the momentum to the conference tournament."
James Madison University hosts the 17-team field. Appalachian State, Georgetown, Hampton, James Madison, Longwood, Marshall, Maryland, Methodist, Ohio, Princeton, Richmond, Rutgers, Siena, St. John's, St. Francis-Pa., William & Mary and Yale will compete in the tournament
The Terps will face a field of familiar foes in Harrisonburg, as they have competed against 11 of the teams in previous tournaments. Maryland has played Longwood, Richmond and William & Mary three times each, and Appalachian State, James Madison and Methodist twice apiece. The Terps have also faced Princeton, Ohio, Yale, St. Francis and St. John's each once.
Seniors Erin Clasper (North Potomac, Md.) and Carter Crowther (Kilmarnock, Va.), juniors Marie Harper (West Point, Va.) and Stacey Wolejko (Hatfield, Mass.) and sophomore Kristen Shew (Hockessin, Del.) will compete for the Terps. This is the same lineup that finished second and fourth at the last two tournaments.
Lakeview is a well-known course for the Terps, who claimed their first-ever team victory there in 2001 when Harper and Clasper tied for sixth and Crowther tied for 13th. Maryland placed fifth there last year. Clasper paced the team, tying for ninth place, followed closely by Harper, who finished 13th. The team has competed at James Madison's tournament all four years of its brief existence, and all five Terps participating this weekend have played at Lakeview at least once. This will be the fourth trip there for Clasper and Crowther and the third for Harper. "We're very familiar with the course," Rodenhaver said. "It will be nice to have no surprises."
Terps at Daytona Beach
Finishing in second place, the Terps posted their best finish of the year at the Hatter Spring Fling in Daytona Beach, Fla., two weeks ago.
Harper tied for second with a two-round total of 154, just two strokes behind tournament-winner Ann Fraser of Florida Atlantic. Her second place is the best a Terp has finished individually this year, and Harper's personal best.
Clasper also placed in the top 20, tying for 16th. She carded a two-round total of 162.
Crowther also cracked the top 25, tying for 21st place with a 164, just two strokes behind Clasper. Shew carded a 168 and placed 39th, and Wolejko tied for 50th with a 171.
Terps At A Glance
The JMU/Bonnie Hoover Invitational is the Terps' second-to-last tournament of the season. The ACC Championship in Clemmons, N.C., is April 18-20. "All things considered, we've had a good spring. I'm proud of how hard the girls have worked, and that we've done so well is a tribute to them," Rodenhaver said, alluding to the inclement weather in College Park for much of the season. A winter storm dumped about two feet of snow on the city, preventing the team from practicing for three weeks before their first spring tournament, and the week leading up to James Madison has been rainy and cold.
Clasper and Harper are the only two Terps 18 rounds since the fall, spanning seven tournaments. Crowther has participated in six, and Wolejko has played in five. Shew and junior Katie Redeker (Pepper Pike, Ohio) have each played in four of the Terps' tournaments this year.
Harper leads the team with an average of 78.28 strokes per 18 holes, but Clasper is close behind at 78.79.
Maryland finished in ninth place at the fall opener, the Lady Kat Invitational, in Lexington, Ky. Harper and Redeker tied for 30th to lead the Terps.
The Terps were forced to withdraw from their second fall tournament, the Chrysler ACC/SEC Challenge, in Destin, Fla., due to Tropical Storm Isador. They returned to the course to finish sixth at the Nittany Lion Invitational in State College, Pa., and were led by a 24th-place finish from Clasper.
Maryland finished ninth at the Lady Pirate Fall Intercollegiate in Greenville, N.C. Team captain Clasper claimed the Terps' first top-20 finish of the season, placing 15th with a three-round total of 230.
The Terps ended the fall season on a high note, finishing fourth at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate Nov. 5, the team's highest finish of the season. For the first time in the brief four-year history of the program, Maryland broke 300 for a round with a third-round 298. Crowther fired the Terps' only round of par of the fall, carding a 72 over the final 18 holes. She led the team with her 14th-place finish, the highest a Terrapin placed all season. Harper also landed in the top 20, tying for 15th place, just one stroke behind Crowther.
Maryland finished 17th at the spring-opening Edwin Watts/Carolinas Collegiate Classic in Pinehurst, N.C. Harper paced the Terps, tying for 37th place.
The Terps finished fourth at the Bradford Creek Women's Intercollegiate in Greenville, N.C., March 7-9. Maryland matched its best-ever score for a round with a second-round 298. Clasper and Harper tied for 16th to lead the Terps.
About Coach Rodenhaver
In his fourth season as head coach, Jason Rodenhaver is the only coach the Maryland women's golf team has ever known, and he built the program from scratch.
Rodenhaver played three years for Maryland after transferring from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he played one season. As team captain in 1994, his senior year, Rodenhaver led the Terps to a fifth place finish at the ACC Tournament, and played in the 1994 NCAA Tournament.
In his eighth year of coaching, Rodenhaver was named head coach of the women's team on November 19, 1998 after serving as the assistant coach of the men's team for four-and-a-half seasons.
Rodenhaver says his most memorable moment as a coach was leading the women's team to victory at the James Madison Lady Dukes Invitational in Spring 2001. It was the first team victory in Maryland women's golf history.
Follow The Terrapins In 2003
Terps on the Web - For up-to-date tournament stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please locate www.umterps.com on the Internet. Check it out today for the most recent women's golf player and coach bios and the 2002-03 season recaps.
E-mail Straight To You - If you would like the latest Maryland women's golf news e-mailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, e-mail women's golf contact Jessica Bernheim at JessicaB@wam.umd.edu with the message "Golf E-mail" as the subject and you will receive every update released about the team.
