April 22, 2004

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's 37th-ranked women's golf team heads to Columbus, Ohio this weekend for the 2004 Big Ten Championships, which begin Friday at Ohio State's Scarlet Course (par-72, 6,201 yards).

The 11 Conference teams will play 36 holes on Friday (April 23), followed by 18 holes on both Saturday and Sunday. Both Friday's and Sunday's rounds will begin at 8 a.m. ET, while Saturday's round starts at 9 a.m.

The Wildcats face a formidable task in trying to upend heavy favorites Ohio State and Michigan State in this year's Big Ten event. Ohio State, which is seeking a third straight title, gains a huge advantage by playing the tournament on its home course. In addition, the third-ranked Buckeyes tout the Big Ten's top two-ranked players in Allison Hanna (ranked No. 5) and Kristen White (No. 7), the reigning Big Ten Golfer of the Year award winner. Michigan State, which is ranked 19th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin poll, has won three tournaments this year.

"We know it will be a challenge to win this tournament, especially with Ohio State's home course advantage," says NU coach Chris Regenberg. "But our team, which is extremely young with three freshmen in the lineup, has the ability to play with some of the nation's top programs. We're definitely looking forward to this weekend's challenge."

A strong finish at this weekend's event could help the 'Cats gain their fourth NCAA regional berth in the last five years.

Besides Ohio State, Michigan State and Northwestern, other top-50 programs include Indiana (No. 32), Purdue (No. 41) and Michigan (No. 50). In last weekend's Purdue Lady Boilermaker Invitational, the Wildcats finished third, losing only to Michigan State and Indiana. Ohio State was one of two Big Ten teams that did not participate in the Purdue tournament.

Northwestern is paced by freshman Alice Kim (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood), who has finished second, fourth and fourth in three of her last four tournaments. She fell three strokes shy of winning her first collegiate tournament last weekend in West Lafayette.

The famed Ohio State University Scarlet Golf Course, rated the best collegiate facility in the country by Golf Digest, has been home to Jack Nicklaus, the 1995 and 2002 NCAA Men's Championships, the women's 2000 NCAA East Regional and the 1997 NCAA Women's Championships.

The course was designed by famed architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie, who also designed Augusta National Golf Club, the nation's most famous course and home of The Masters.

Live stats and latest results are available for the tournament by linking to 2004 Big Ten Championships. Other tournament information can be found at Ohio State Women's Golf and Big Ten Women's Golf Championships.