After a successful showing on the last time out, the University of Wisconsin women's golf team travels to East Lansing, Mich. this weekend in hopes of building on their momentum, against a field featuring mainly Big Ten teams.
The Lady Northern Invitational, hosted by the same school that hosts next season's Big Ten Championships — in this case Michigan State — serves as the de facto conference tournament of the fall season. Aside from Big Ten teams, the Lady Northern also draws Midwest schools such as Kent State and Toledo.
While the calendar still shows eight months and a long winter to go before the NCAA tournament, UW head coach Todd Oehrlein was quick to point out that fall competitions factor into the NCAA selection committee's decisions just as much as spring tournaments.
"When it comes down to selections for the post-season, the fall [season] weighs just as heavily as the spring does," Oehrlein said. "Those tournaments are looked at and scrutinized just like the spring events are."
In that case, the Badgers started their quest for the tournament on a strong note last weekend, finishing second in their own Badger Invitational to Big Ten foe Indiana. UW was led by junior Katie Elliott, who took medalist honors after defeating Louisville's Adrienne White in a playoff. The win was the Madison native's first of her collegiate career — her second in as many starts going back to her summer tournament schedule — and meant a little more coming on the home track.
"Being from Madison and growing up playing the course, it definitely means a lot [to win]," said Elliott, who also won the WIAA State Tournament at University Ridge as a senior at Madison Edgewood High School. "There are so many people in Madison that have followed both my team and me; it was a little extra special."
"She has wanted to win a golf tournament for a while," Oehrlein added. "I know that has been a goal of hers individually, and a bigger goal is to lead the team to a team victory and to get that individual victory right away this early will definitely be a big boost for Katie."
The Lady Northern marks Elliott's next opportunity to accomplish that feat. Coming off a team performance Elliott said was the team's best since she has been here, UW must gear up again to tackle a field with three teams ranked in the national top 25, led by Kent State at No. 21, Ohio State at No. 23 and Michigan State at No. 24.
But it's a challenge Elliott and her Wisconsin teammates welcome.
"[A strong showing] is definitely of great importance to us," Elliott said. "All of the teams in the Big Ten are very solid, and Kent State and Toledo are great as well.
"There's not going to be as much room for error," Elliott continued. "The last couple of years we haven't done as well as we would have liked against these teams, but … if we play to our potential, we can be up there with some of the best."
"We want to build on the confidence [gained last week], and playing well this week would definitely be another shot in the arm and set the tempo going forward," Oehrlein added.
Elliott and her teammates have some familiarity with the tournament venue, Fort Akers West Golf Course, as Wisconsin normally plays in an invitational hosted by Michigan State in years the Spartans do not host the Lady Northern.
"A number of our players have played it in the past, and I think three of the six will be very comfortable with the golf course," Oehrlein explained.
Elliott's own history at the course may be one reason she says she loves the course. She has played well in both her appearances at Fort Akers West, including a top-20 finish last year.
UW will be represented by the same five who played the Badger Invitational: Elliott, sophomores Isabel Alvarez and Jeana Dahl, and freshmen Heather Herrick and Kelsey Verbeten. Senior Jill Ries will round out the squad due to the tournament format, in which teams play six golfers but only count the best four for each round.