2012 MIAC Women's Golf Championship Meet Preview

MIAC women's golf preview courtesy of Matt Higgins and the MIAC

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COON RAPIDS, Minn. -- The 2012 MIAC Women's Golf Championships should be an action-packed three days of intrigue, with four teams all peaking at the right time to bolster their title hopes and numerous individual stars expected to battle for medalist and All-Conference honors.

A year ago, St. Olaf took the conference tournament by storm, capturing its first-ever league title and laying waste to every team scoring mark in the MIAC record book. The Oles cruised to a 22-shot win, with their total of 939 serving as the new all-time best mark for 54 holes at the MIAC tournament, while adding 18-hole (309) and 36-hole (629) records en route to the title.

Gustavus was alone in second with a total of 961, with Saint Benedict (984) claiming third place. Carleton (1,002) and Concordia (1,002) tied for fourth place and St. Thomas came in sixth (1,019). Macalester (1,051), Bethel (1,073), St. Catherine (1,107), Saint Mary's (1,111) and Augsburg (1,166) rounded out the rest of the field.

This year, the Oles will again be in the mix, but throughout the fall it's been nearly impossible to separate the defending champs from Gustavus, Carleton and St. Thomas. The Gusties lead the MIAC with a 327.7 scoring average, but all of the top four teams are within 2.1 shots of one another. Carleton ranks second with a 328.5 average, and St. Olaf and the Tommies enter tied for third at 329.8.

Concordia and Saint Benedict also appear evenly matched as those two will battle to join the top five and also get in contention for the title. The Cobbers average 345 strokes per 18 holes, while the Blazers are close behind at 346.7. Augsburg (364), Macalester (368), Bethel (371) and St. Catherine (376) all make up the next group, with Saint Mary's (402) rounding out the championship field.

The race for the individual title should be just as good. Though the top two finishers from a year ago have graduated, seven of the top 10 individuals return, and several new faces should also impact the race for medalist honors, which will no doubt have a major effect on the team scores as well.

The Oles' title defense starts with returning MIAC Player-of-the-Year Molly Erickson, who finished second individually at the 2012 NCAA Division III Championships. Erickson - who finished seventh at the 2011 MIAC meet - leads the conference this fall with  77.1 scoring average. The Oles have two other All-Conference players back in the lineup in Molly Knutson (84.0) and Maxine Carlson (88.0), who both were top-eight finishers at last year's conference championship meet.

Carleton brings back two All-MIAC honorees, and three of the league's top six scorers this season. Kelsey Moede has the league's third-best average at 78.9 this fall, while teammates Gina Kabasakalis (81.0) and Taylor Wells (80.9) both had top-six finishes at last fall's conference meet, and join Moede on the scoring average leaderboad thus far in 2012.

Gustavus saw its string of MIAC titles come to an end a year ago, but returns one of the league's top players in Sam Falk - who finished third at the 2011 MIAC meet - along with two others ranked in the top 10 in scoring average this fall. Falk is ranked eighth at 82.2, while teammate Kayleigh Dittes is fourth (79.6) and Liz Strom is ninth (82.6).

St. Thomas didn't have an All-MIAC finisher last year, but that all could change in 2012. Doyle O'Brien has claimed each of the past two MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week awards with her No. 2-ranked scoring average of 78.8. Meanwhile, Erin Dingmann (82.9) and Emma Wilson (83.6) are ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, in scoring in 2012.

The final All-Conference returner is Saint Benedict's Grace Todora, who finished in a tie for eighth at last year's meet. This season, Todora's scoring average of 81.1 leads the Blazers, and ranks seventh in the MIAC. Concordia will be led by sophomores Amy Mireault and Kristi Opatz, who both finished in the Top 15 at the conference meet a year ago.

Augsburg is led by sophomore Rachel Kristofferson, a transfer from Bemidji State with an 86.3 stroke average, and junior Hannah Shafer and her 90.0 average. Macalester's Grace Caird will look for another strong MIAC showing after earning All-MIAC honors in 2010 and finishing 11th last season. Bethel's top returner is junior Emily Gerry. St. Catherine will again be led by sophomore Ellen Rager - who has an 85.5 stroke average this fall - as the Wildcats head into their second MIAC Championship appearance. Saint Mary's senior Jenna Mrozinski leads the Cardinals into the conference meet with a team-best 92.4 average in 2012.U
 
As usual, each team will play one 18-hole round each day, with the champion and individual places decided by the cumulative scores after all 54 holes are complete. Saturday and Sunday will both begin with tee times starting at 11:20 a.m., and Monday's final round will start at 9 a.m. with a brief awards ceremony to conclude the tournament. The top individual will receive medalist honors, while the top 10 individuals - including ties - will be honored as All-Conference performers.

The MIAC women will play the North and East courses at Bunker Hills each day, with the men playing the East and West courses. Pairings and tee times for Saturday's opening round are determined by last year's finish at the MIAC Championships, and Sunday and Monday's pairings and tee times will be dictated by the previous day's scores. As always, the winning team will receive the MIAC Men's Golf Championship trophy and the conference's automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships.

The MIAC Web site will offer live scoring updates throughout the tournament, along with complete results and recaps following each day of action with photos and videos to highlight the event as well. Stay tuned to the 2011 MIAC Golf Championship Home Page, as well as the MIAC's social media networks on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube throughout the weekend to stay connected to all the action at Bunker Hills.


Click here for the complete MIAC women's golf meet preview