In 2006, the Purple Aces’ women’s gof team shot 962 in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship, an improvement of 62 strokes from the year before. Their 317 team score in the final round was Evansville’s best ever in the MVC Tournament. But those marks didn’t hold up for long. The 2007 Aces shot 958, and their team total of 313 in the final round beat the old record by four strokes.
Coach Jim Hamilton and his team expect more records to fall in 2007-08, and why shouldn’t they? With the top five players returning, there’s plenty of reason for optimism.
UE's season opener takes place Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 10 and 11, at the Draper Intercollegiate, hosted by Appalachian State University at Draper Valley Golf Club in Draper, Va.
“Experience is a great asset, and we have a team full of experienced players,” Hamilton says. “Then, you add the confidence they’ve gained as their play has improved, and that’s why this team is very focused on the upcoming season.”
Senior Crissy Higgins has been UE’s scoring leader each season, and her 80.87 career stroke average puts her on target to break the modern record of 81.96, set by Andrea Werner in 2003. Higgins averaged less than 80 for the first time in her career last season, lopping off a full stroke from the year below to finish at 79.88. Senior Helen Cuffe was next with an 82.0 average, including rounds of 79, 79 and 77 that gave her a team-best 17th place finish at the 59-player MVC Tournament in April. Junior Danielle Wolter was right on Cuffe’s heels at 82.92, junior Vandi Gooch was next at 83.05, and senior Katie Shoener rounded out the top five with an 84.28 average. The five veterans will be joined by freshman Maggie Wood, who is expected to compete immediately with the veterans.
The Aces turned in a seventh place finish at the MVC Championship last April. It was their best ever, but not high enough to satisfy the 2007-08 team.
“We came very close to finishing in the top three,” Hamilton points out. “I’ve seen a change in the attitude of these players over the last couple years. They don’t expect to finish near the bottom. They’ve proven to themselves that they can compete with every team in the league.”
