The 17-school field contains 10 teams that were rated among the nation’s top 100 in the final 2010 Golfstat NCAA Head-to-Head rankings, including three top 50 programs – Northwestern (36), Campbell (48) and Iowa State (49).
In addition to host Michigan (67), the tournament also includes Big Ten Conference member Indiana (58), plus Campbell’s fellow Atlantic Sun Conference member Kennesaw State (78).
The 54-hole tournament begins Saturday (Sept. 11) at 8:30 a.m., when Campbell, Michigan and Northwestern tee off at 8:30 a.m. After playing 36 holes on Saturday, the final round is slated to start at 8:30 a.m. Sunday on the par-71, 6167-yard University of Michigan Golf Course.
“We’re very fortunate to being invited to play in a prestigious event like the Wolverine Invitational,” said head coach John Crooks, who is now in his 20th year in charge of the Campbell women’s program. “They have placed us in the feature group of the day, which is a real credit to our reputation and ranking of teams past. Having said that, this is a whole new squad. We graduated two outstanding seniors – Mary Mattson and Belen Diaz Cisneros, who played a major role in our success, and we are replacing them with two eager, enthusiastic freshmen in our lineup.”
During his tenure, Crooks has led the women's team to 10 conference titles and 14 NCAA Regional appearances. A NGCA Hall of Fame member, Crooks’ women's teams have earned regional berths 11 times in the last 13 years.
He guided the Lady Camels to three-consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference championships from 1996-98 and again in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. Entering the 2010-11 season, Crooks ranks second among all active Division I women's coaches in tournament victories with 61, trailing only Dan Brooks of Duke (110). His women have won a tournament in all 19 years in which he has served as head coach, including two during the 2009-10 campaign.
Crooks’ lineup this weekend will include two seniors (Sandra Angulo and Sarah Bejgrowicz), one junior (Michelle Koh) and two freshmen (Maria Jose Benavides and Kaylin Yost).
A second-team all-conference performer last spring, Bejgrowicz finished 150th in the final Golfstat Cup list (6th among all A-Sun players) with a 75.09 stroke average. The native of Lancaster, Pa., also rated ninth in the country in fairways hit (.892), according to Golfstat. She had five top-10 finishes, including an 8th-place showing at the Atlantic Sun Championship and a runner-up at the South Florida/Waterlefe Invitational.
The former (2008) Atlantic Sun freshman of the year, Angulo produced a 76.03 stroke average (4th best on team and 11th in the A-Sun and 240th in the Golfstat Cup) while playing all 33 rounds over 12 events in 2009-10. The product of Torreon, Mexico posted six top-20 finishes, including at 15th-place showing at the A-Sun Championship and a fourth-place result at the Fighting Camel Classic.
Koh is coming off a sophomore year when she compiled a 76.4 stroke average over 11 events to ranked number 266 in the Golfstat Cup, 13th among A-Sun golfers. The Kuantan, Malaysia native and 2009 A-Sun all-freshman team member tied the school record low round (68) at the Kiawah Island Classic and recorded six top-20 finishes, including a season-best tie for 6th at the South Florida/Waterlefe Invitational.
Benavides and Yost will be making their collegiate debut this weekend, but both have played junior golf at a high level.
A product of Lerma, Mexico, Benavides is the 2008 Mexican junior national champion, who was ranked 53rd by Polo Golf Rankings and 108th by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Yost, who hails from Pembroke Pines, Fla., was ranked among the top-10 players in the State of Florida’s Class of 2010 as well as number 130 by Junior Golf Scoreboard.
This weekend’s event is the first of four tournaments – played in three times zones – on Campbell’s fall schedule. The Camels will also compete at the Golfweek Conference Challenge (Sept. 26-28) at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott, Colo., the Xavier Invitational (Oct. 8-10) at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., and the Edwin Watts Palmetto Intercollegiate (Oct. 25-26) at Oak Point Golf Club in Kiawah Island, S.C.
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