April 21, 2010
Notes for the Big Ten Championships
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions will head to Madison, Wis. for the Big Ten Championships, hosted by the University of Wisconsin. Penn State finished in 11th place at the Big Ten Championships last season in West Lafayette, Ind., and will look to improve in this year's event.
"We are excited about the upcoming championship," said head coach Denise St. Pierre. "The players are excited about playing `The Ridge.' It is a wonderful golf course."
Freshman Emily Ransone (Hilliard, Ohio) and junior Gia Fanelli (West Palm Beach, Fla.) will lead the Nittany Lions into the Big Ten Championships, being the only two Nittany Lions to compete in every tournament this season. Ransone leads the team with her 78.1 strokes-per-round average, and took home the individual title at the Nittany Lion Invitational on October 4.
Fanelli comes in with a 79.6 average. She earned Big Ten Women's Golfer of the Week on April 7 after her fourth place performance at the Canes and Cardinal Classic in Miami, Fla.
Senior Lindsay Cullen (Allen, Texas) will compete in her second straight tournament this weekend. She was the top finisher for Penn State at the Big Ten tournament last season, with a score of 320 and a tie for 20th place. Juniors Giulia Carando (Torino, Italy) and Brianna Malcolmson (Murwillumbah, Australia) are the two other golfers returning to the Big Ten Championships. Freshman Hanule Seo (St. Louis, Mo.) rounds out the field for the Nittany Lions.
Purdue will look to defend its Big Ten Championship title for the third straight year, as they have won the past two. The University of Wisconsin will also look to contend on its home course.
"The players have been working hard this past month in preparation for the championship," St. Pierre said. "The Big Ten teams are strong top to bottom so it should be a great experience and competitive atmosphere."
The tournament will be held on the par-72, 6,224-yard University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis. The 72-hole tournament will consist of two rounds on the first day, and one on each of the final two days. Six players will participate for each of the 11 Big Ten schools. The tournament will kickoff at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 23.