April 2010: Campus Insider: Golf Digest

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Campus Insider Podcast/Darin Spease

Friday, April 30, 2010

I think I've got a pretty interesting episode in the latest edition of the Golf World Campus Insider Podcast. I start out by recapping the Pac-10 Men's Championship this past week, where Washington defended its title with a thrilling finish at ASU's Karsten Course. I talked to Husky coach Matt Thurmond about the final day comeback against Stanford who reveals that the real key to victory might not have come in the final round.

My featured guest, however, is the chairman of the NCAA Division I men's golf committee, Darin Spease, who joins me to talk about what he and the committee are doing in preparation for selection Monday, May 10, when the committee announced the 81 teams that will advance to NCAA regionals in the quest to win the 2010 national championship.

Spease also discusses the changes to the recent format of the championship, outlining the committees thoughts in implementing them and where it stands moving forward.

To link to the interview, click here.

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Conference Championship previews, Part V

Thursday, April 29, 2010

MEN

Atlantic 10 Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Mission Inn Resort, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
April 30-May 2
Field (Golfstat ranking): Charlotte (49), Dayton (212), Duquesne (269), Fordham (N/A), George Washington (184), La Salle (N/A), Rhode Island (186), Richmond (147), St. Bonaventure (234), St. Joseph's (256), Temple (236), Xavier (117)
Defending champion: Charlotte (+20/872) by 10 strokes over Xavier; Charlotte's Corey Nagy (-1/212) by four strokes over Charlotte's Stefan Wiedergruen
Skinny: Charlotte is trying to become the first team to win the title five straight years since Penn State accomplished the feat in 1986-91. Similarly, Corey Nagy could become the first repeat individual winner since Xavier's Steve Dixon in 1998-99.

Big Ten Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Windsong Farm GC, Maple Plain, Minn.
April 30-May 2
Field (Golfstat ranking): Illinois (18), Indiana (60), Iowa (41), Michigan (48), Michigan State (106), Minnesota (110), Northwestern (52), Ohio State (78), Penn State (61), Purdue (71), Wisconsin (133)
Defending champion: Illinois (+13/1,149) by 13 strokes over Minnesota; Northwestern's Eric Chun (-1/283) by one stroke over Penn State's Kevin Foley
Skinny: Can Minnesota provide outgoing coach Brad James a going away present? Going to be tough to keep Illinois from repeating as champs.

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship
Celebration GC, Celebration, Fla.
April 30-May 2
Field (Golfstat ranking): Canisius (259), Fairfield (263), Iona (252), Loyola (222), Manhattan (271), Niagara (272), Rider (N/A), St. Peter's (270), Siena (249)
Defending champion: Loyola (Md.) (+43/907) by five strokes over Siena; Loyola's Michael Mulieri (+7/223) in playoff over Canisius' Drew Creighton
Skinny: Loyola is one of only five schools to ever win the MAAC title, claim top honors 11 times since 1990.

Mid-American Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Longaberger GC, Nashport, Ohio
April 30-May 2
Field (Golfstat ranking): Akron (131), Ball State (145), Bowling Green State (158), Eastern Michigan (67), Kent State (53), Miami (127), Northern Illinois (192), Ohio (174), Toledo (125)
Defending champion: Kent State (-16/1,136) by 19 strokes over Eastern Michigan; Kent State's John Hahn (-9/279) by four strokes over Kent State's Brett Cairns
Skinny: Looks once again to be a two-school race between Kent State and Eastern Michigan. One of the two has been MAAC champs ever year since 2005.

Northeast Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
ChampionsGate GC, ChampionsGate, Fla.
April 30-May 2
Field (Golfstat ranking): Central Connecticut State (221), Fairleigh Dickinson (N/A), LIU-Brooklyn (268), Monmouth (N/A), Mount St. Mary's (265), Robert Morris (261), Sacred Heart (226), St. Francis (N.Y.) (279), Saint Francis (Pa.) (N/A), Wagner (N/A)
Defending champion: Sacred Heart (+19/883) by 26 strokes over Central Connecticut State; Central Connecticut State's Eric Hawerchak (-4/212) by two strokes over Bryant's Jason Thresher
Skinny: Sacred Heart's two-year run as champs is likely to be challenged by in-state rival Central Connecticut State.

Big West Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Mission Viejo CC, Mission Viejo, Calif.
May 3-4
Field (Golfstat ranking): Cal Poly (143), CSU Fullerton (219), CSU Northridge (105), Long Beach State (115), Pacific (90), UC Davis (86), UC Irvine (55), UC Riverside (180), UC Santa Barbara (129)
Defending champion: UC Davis (-3/861) by seven strokes over Pacific and UC Irvine; UC Davis' Austin Graham (-3/213) in playoff over UC Davis' Ramie Sprinkling
Skinny: UC Irvine's John Chin should help the Anteaters win back the title from UC Davis. Chin's a likely candidate to claim medalist honors, too.

Western Athletic Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Rio Secco, GC, Henderson, Nev.
May 3-5
Field (Golfstat ranking): Boise State (154), Fresno State (54), Hawaii (213), Idaho (137), Louisiana Tech (99), Nevada (77), New Mexico State (121), San Jose State (140), Utah State (189)
Defending champion: New Mexico State (+6/870) by one stroke over Fresno State; New Mexico State's Travis Reid (-7/209) by three strokes over Fresno State's Grant Doverspike
Skinny: It's been since 2003 that Fresno State last won the WAC title. The six-year drought should end next week.

Mountain West Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Omni Tucson National, Tucson
May 6-8
Field (Golfstat ranking): Air Force (164), BYU (58), Colorado State (35), New Mexico (46), San Diego State (30), TCU (24), UNLV (13), Utah (172), Wyoming (120)
Defending champion: TCU (-8/844) in playoff over San Diego State; Steve Saunders (-9/204) by four strokes over UNLV's Ji Moon
Skinny: Hard to believe that UNLV hasn't won a conference title since 2002. The Rebels have a good shot of ending the streak this time around, but keep an eye on New Mexico.

Meanwhile, here is the latest results grid:

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Miami (Fla.) names Patti Rizzo new women's coach

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Officials at Miami (Fla.) decided they wanted a Hurricane to replace legendary women's coach Lela Cannon upon her retirement at the end of this season. So it was that they picked Patti Rizzo, a former U of M golfer and 20-year LPGA Tour veteran as Cannon's successsor, announcing the selection earlier this afternoon.

Rizzo, 49, is currently in her fifth year as the women's coach at Division II Barry U. in Miami Shores, Fla., where her teams have finshed in the top 10 nationally the previous four seasons and are ranked No. 6 in the latest Golf World/NGCA coaches' poll.

"I'm extremely excited," Rizzo (right) said in a statement. "I've been dreaming of this opportunity. I started my career at the University of Miami and things have come full circle where I have the chacne to finish up where I started. I am so appreciative of the support from my family, friends and the people at Miami. I am just thrilled to be back."

During Rizzo's playing days at Miami, she won the individual title at the 1980 and 1981 AIWA Championship. the precursor for the NCAA Championship.

Cannon is retiring from the post after 27 seasons coaching the Hurricanes, having led them to the NCAA women's title in 1984 and earning a spot in the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

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Golf World/Nike Golf men's coaches' polls (5/3 edition)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Here is latest edition of the Golf World/Nike Golf men's coaches' poll, which appear in the May 3 issue of the magazine.

Oklahoma State stays on top of the Division I poll. Barry returns as the No. 1 team in the Division II poll as does Methodist in the Division III poll. Oklahoma City also keeps itself in the top spot of the NAIA poll.

Polls conducted by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Voting closed April 22, so results this past weekend's tournaments weren't included for consideration

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NCAA Women's D-I regional selections

Monday, April 26, 2010

UCLA, defending NCAA champion Arizona State and Duke, three of the top four teams in the latest Golf World/NGCA coaches’ poll, earned the three top seeds as the NCAA
Division I women’s golf committee announced April 26 the 72 teams and nine individuals to play in the three regional tournaments May 6-8. The low eight teams from each regional and the low two individuals not on those teams, advance to the 29th NCAA Championship at CC of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C., May 18-21.

East Regional
Ironwood CC, Greenville, N.C.
Teams (By Seed)

Duke, Auburn, Wake Forest, Pepperdine, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Florida, TCU, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tulane, Chattanooga, Washington, Texas Tech, Georgia State, Campbell, East Tennessee State, Furman, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, College of Charleston, Stetson, Charleston Southern, Fairleigh Dickinson

Individuals
Sofia Hagsund, UNC Wilmington
Shena Yang, South Florida
Nicole Sakamoto, James Madison

Central Regional
Otter Creek GC, Bloomington, Ind.
Teams (By Seed)
Arizona State, USC, Purdue, Michigan State, Georgia, Denver, New Mexico, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Louisville, Oregon, Kent State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Mississippi, San Diego State, Baylor, Tulsa, N.C. State, Indiana, Illinois State, Murray State, Detroit Mercy, Jackson State

Individuals
Ashley Bauer, Michigan
Olivia Lansing, Drake
Julia Potter, Missouri

West Regional
Stanford GC, Stanford, Calif.
Teams (By Seed)
UCLA, Alabama, Arizona, Ohio State, Virginia, Stanford, LSU, California, Texas A&M, Texas, UC Davis, Arkansas, UNLV, San Jose State, San Francisco, Idaho, UC Irvine, Iowa State, Maryland, Colorado State, Oral Roberts, Texas State, Penn, Portland State

Individuals
Amy Anderson, North Dakota State
Teresa Puga, Minnesota
Ellen Mueller, Oklahoma

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Conference champions to date

Monday, April 26, 2010

Here's a grid breaking down the conference championship winners through yesterday.

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Conference Championship previews, Part IV

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Next to last installment of the conference championship previews. Italic schools, once again, are programs that don't yet meet the ".500 rule" for postseason eligibility.

Conference USA Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
RedTail GC, Orlando
April 25-27
Field (Golfstat ranking): UAB (125), UCF (52), East Carolina (68), Houston (126), Marshall (229), Memphis (97), Rice (65), SMU (43), Southern Mississippi (92), Tulsa (59), UTEP (187)
Defending champion: UCF (-18/846) by six strokes over SMU; UCF's Simon Ward (-11/205) by one stroke over UCF's Blayne Barber
Skinny: SMU is the favorite, but I like a bit of a dark-horse here. I've just got a hunch at Rice might be ready to win its first C-USA golf title.

Horizon League Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Kearney Hill GL, Lexington, Ky.
April 26-27
Field (Golfstat ranking): Butler (237), Cleveland State (234), Detroit Mercy (139), Loyola (Ill.) (193), Valparaiso (267), Wisconsin-Green Bay (148), Wright State (217), Youngstown State (231)
Defending champion: Cleveland State (+23/887) by five strokes over Detroit Mercy; Cleveland State's Jacob Scott (-4/212) by five strokes over Wright State's Charlie Doll
Skinny: Chances of a first-time conference champion seem reasonable with Wisconsin-Green Bay likely to be in contention. Detroit Mercy, meanwhile, hasn't won league title since 1007.

Missouri Valley Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Prairie Dunes GC, Hutchinson, Kan.
April 26-27
Field (Golfstat ranking): Bradley (255), Creighton (238), Drake (197), Evansville (204), Illinois State (91), Northern Iowa (198), Missouri State (150), Southern Illinois (213), Wichita State (70)
Defending champion: Wichita State (+18/882) by 15 strokes over Illinois State; Wichita State's Connor McHenry and Dustin Garza (E/216) shared the individual title
Skinny: Playing a tough course like Prairie Dunes will only separate Wichita State even more from the rest of the field. It would be a shockers if the Shockers didn't win for a third straight year.

Summit League Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Entrada at Snow Canyon, St. George, Utah
April 26-27
Field (Golfstat ranking): Centenary (219), IUPUI (N/A), IPFW (246), UM-Kansas City (140), North Dakota State (239), Oakland (205), Oral Roberts (164), South Dakota State (226), Southern Utah (218), Western Illinois (128)
Defending champion: Oral Roberts (-4/860) by nine strokes over UM-Kansas City; Oral Roberts' Scott Stiles (-9/207) by four strokes over South Dakota State's Trent Peterson
Skinny: Time for Western Illinois to get some revenge on Oral Roberts for ending its three-year Summit League win streak a year ago. Amazingly on two schools are eligible right now for NCAA regionals with overall winning records.

Ohio Valley Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Greystone GC, Dickson, Tenn.
April 26-28
Field (Golfstat ranking): Austin Peay State (196), Eastern Illinois (208), Eastern Kentucky (152), Jacksonville State (129), Morehead State (194), Murray State (122), Tennessee State (N/A), Tennessee Tech (209), UT-Martin (230)
Defending champion: Austin Peay State (+13/877) by one stroke over Murray State; Jacksonville State's Gonzalo Berlin (-2/214) by one stroke over Morehead State's Rex Lee Chaney
Skinny: Murray State looks to end a 19-year conference title drought in Tennessee.

Pac-10 Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
ASU Karsten GC, Tempe, Ariz.
April 26-28
Field (Golfstat ranking): Arizona (44), Arizona State (13), California (35), Oregon (2), Oregon State (23), Stanford (1), UCLA (4), USC (10), Washington (6), Washington State (69)
Defending champion: Washington (-16/1,424) by 18 strokes over Oregon; Washington's Darren Wallace (-11/277) by four strokes over Washington's Nick Taylor
Skinny: The toughest conference in the country has arguably the best championship set-up: four rounds, one 36-hole day and six play, five count format to make sure your team is deep. You could make an argument for any of seven schools to realistically win this year. I'll stick with last year's champion, Washington, to repeat at conference for the first time in school history.

Patriot League Championship
Seven Oaks GC, Hamilton, N.Y.
April 26-28
Field (Golfstat ranking): Army (N/A), Bucknell (201), Colgate (256), Holy Cross (257), Lafayette (241), Lehigh (N/A), Navy (N/A)
Defending champion: Bucknell (+44/884) by five strokes over Navy; Bucknell's Andrew Cohen (-2/208) by eight strokes over Army's Matt Krembel
Skinny: Bucknell, with four seniors in the lineup, has some momentum, finishing either first or second in their last four tournaments. Cohen could become the second player in league history to win the individual title more than once, joining Bucknell's Charles Waddell (2005, 2006).

Southland Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Carter Plantation, Springfield, La.
April 26-28
Field (Golfstat ranking): Central Arkansas (N/E), Lamar (73), McNeese State (N/A), Nicholls State (243), Sam Houston State (87), S.E. Louisiana (45), Stephen F. Austin State (98), Texas State (105), UT-Arlington (77), UT-San Antonio (203)
Defending champion: Lamar (-5/859) by 10 strokes over UT-Arlington; S.E. Louisiana's Cedric Scotto (-4/212) in playoff over Lamar's Justin Harding and UT-Arlington's Zack Fischer
Skinny: Lamar is the four-time defending champion, but the Cardinals aren't the favorites this week. That label goes to S.E. Louisiana. Moreover, Lamar has yet to hit the .500 mark in order to be eligible for an at-large post-season berth.

Sun Belt Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
RTJ Golf Trail at The Shoals, Muscle Shoals, Ala.
April 26-28
Field (Golfstat ranking): Arkansas State (110), UA-Little Rock (102), Denver (118), Florida Atlantic (121), Louisiana-Lafayette (114), Louisiana-Monroe (N/A), Middle Tennessee State (41), New Orleans (75), North Texas (76), South Alabama (83), Troy (149), Western Kentucky (195)
Defending champion: Middle Tennessee State (+2/866) by six strokes over Denver; Denver's Espen Kofstad (-8/208) by five strokes over Arkansas State's Lloyd du Preez
Skinny: Hard to see any school other than Middle Tennessee State from taking the team title.

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Campus Insider Podcast/Chris Haack

Friday, April 23, 2010

Today's podcast focuses on the conference championship season, with some commentary on the recent finish at the Pac-10 Women's Championship, and a look forward at the Pac-10 men's tournament this coming week, along with the ACC men, Big Ten women and the Big 12 men and women's clashes.

Meanwhile, my featured guest is Chris Haack, Georgia men's coach, who talks about the roller coaster season the Bulldogs have had in 2009-10, one took a turn for the better last weekend when the team won the SEC Championship at Sea Island GC.

For some perspective, here are some stats on the team from the course of the season.

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Conference Championship previews, Part III

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Here are a look at the conference championships that start today and tomorrow. Men's schools in italic do not yet meet the ".500 rule" requirement for an at-large berth into NCAA regionals.

MEN

ACC Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Old North State Club, New London, N.C.
April 23-25
Field (Golfstat ranking): Boston College (N/A), Clemson (15), Duke (22), Florida State (9), Georgia Tech (17), Maryland (119), North Carolina (42), N.C. State (34), Virginia (21), Virginia Tech (61), Wake Forest (32)
Defending champion: Georgia Tech (-18/846) by three strokes over Clemson; N.C. State's Matt Hill and Clemson's David May (-10/206) shared the individual title
Skinny: Something about Old North State Club, site of the ACC Championship since 1995 (with the exception of 1997) appeals to Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have won the outright title or a share six times since moving to the course. Next closest school is Clemson at four.

Big 12 Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Whispering Pines GC, Trinity, Texas
April 23-25
Field: Baylor (50), Colorado (90), Iowa State (84), Kansas (111), Kansas State (79), Missouri (64), Nebraska (81), Oklahoma (74), Oklahoma State (3), Texas (7), Texas A&M (5), Texas Tech (12)
Defending champion: Oklahoma State (+29/1,149) by 14 strokes over Colorado; Oklahoma State's Morgan Hoffmann (-4/276) by three strokes over Baylor's Bill Allcorn
Skinny: Three-time defending champion Oklahoma State comes in with the best ranking, but reigning NCAA champion Texas A&M might have the most momentum after their big win at home last weekend at the Aggie Invitational. It's been a while since A&M won a conference title. You have to go back to the Southwestern Conference and 1987.

Ivy League Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Baltusrol GC, Springfield, N.J.
April 23-25
Field: Brown (261), Columbia (207), Cornell (225), Dartmouth (223), Harvard (161), Penn (186), Princeton (228), Yale (131)
Defending champion: Columbia (+18/858) by one stroke over Penn; Dartmouth's Peter Williamson (+1/211) in a playoff over Princeton's Eric Salazar
Skinny: Yale looks to have distanced itself from the rest of the pack. A victory likely allows them to stay at home NCAA regional bid are handed out (Yale GC hosts the Northeast).

WOMEN

Ohio Valley Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Greystone GC, Dickson, Tenn.
April 22-24
Field: Austin Peay State (178), Eastern Illinois (203), Eastern Kentucky (156), Jacksonville State (139), Morehead State (127), Murray State (136), Tennessee State (N/A), Tennessee Tech (181)
Defending champion: Murray State (+88/952) by eight strokes over Jacksonville State; Eastern Illinois' Carrie Riordan (+14/230) by three strokes over Tennessee Tech's Megan Bradford
Skinny: Morehead State is moving into uncharted territory; the school has never won the OVC title while nearest competitors Murray State and Jacksonville State have claimed the title between them each of the last eight years.

Big Ten Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
University Ridge GC, Verona, Wis.
April 23-25
Field: Illinois (76), Indiana (59), Iowa (126), Michigan (68), Michigan State (10), Minnesota (60), Northwestern (40), Ohio State (12), Penn State (132), Purdue (8), Wisconsin (64)
Defending champion: Purdue (+57/1,209) by 43 strokes over Michigan State; Purdue's Maria Hernandez and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (+9/297) shared the individual title
Skinny: What appeared to be a two-team race (Purdue vs. Michigan State) a few months ago has added a third-party candidate with Ohio State posting five top-fives this spring, including a win at the Lady Buckeye last weekend.

Big 12 Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Jimmie Austin GC, Norman, Okla.
April 23-25
Field: Baylor (52), Colorado (62), Iowa State (56), Kansas (81), Kansas State (94), Missouri (63), Nebraska (67), Oklahoma (72), Oklahoma State (26), Texas (29), Texas A&M (25), Texas Tech (43)
Defending champion: Oklahoma State (+45/909) by 13 strokes over Texas A&M; Texas A&M's Ashley Freeman (+9/225) in a playoff over Oklahoma's Kendall Dye
Skinny: Seven schools rank in the top 62 but none better than 25th, suggesting a good deal of parity in the conference. With that, picking a winner is dangerous. When in doubt, go with the chalk: A&M

Ivy League Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Baltusrol GC, Springfield, N.J.
April 23-25
Field: Brown (205), Columbia (N/A), Dartmouth (212), Harvard (47), Penn (112), Princeton (119), Yale (128)
Defending champion: Harvard (+40/904) by two strokes over Yale; Princeton's Susannah Aboff (+3/219) by five strokes over Yale's Harriet Owers-Bradle
Skinny: Harvard remains far and away the leader of this bunch.

Mid-American Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Hawthorns G&CC, Fishers, Ind.
April 23-25
Field: Akron (116), Ball State (92), Bowling Green State (202), Eastern Michigan (95), Kent State (33), Northern Illinois (186), Ohio (184), Toledo (124), Western Michigan (125)
Defending champion: Kent State (+65) by 39 strokes over Eastern Michigan; Kent State's Mercedes Germino (+12/300) by one stroke over Kent State's Kirby Dreher
Skinny: A 12th straight title for Kent State seems a virtual certainty.

Northeast Conference Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
ChampionsGate GC, ChampionsGate, Fla.
April 23-25
Field: Central Connecticut State (221), Fairleigh Dickinson (N/A), LIU-Brooklyn (217), Monmouth (N/A), Mount St. Mary's (237), Robert Morris (226), Sacred Heart (216), St. Francis (N.Y.) (N/A), St. Francis (Pa.) (N/A), Wagner (N/A)
Defending champion: Fairleigh Dickinson (+56) by 23 strokes over LIU-Brooklyn: Fairleigh Dickinson's Michele Holzwarth (+7/223) by LIU's Natalie Desjardins
Skinny: FDU's one-two punch of Lisa Warrilow and Michele Holzwarth look to be difficult to stop. Between the two of them, they won the conference player-of-the-week honors seven out of 13 weeks.

Horizon League Championship
(For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Kearney Hill GL, Lexington, Ky.
April 24-25
Field: Butler (177), Cleveland State (222), Detroit Mercy (204), Loyola (Md.) (193), Wisconsin-Green Bay (224), Youngstown State (165)
Defending champion: Youngstown State (+104/968) by 17 strokes over Cleveland State; Youngstown State's Samantha Formeck (+23/239) by two strokes over three others.
Skinny: A successful post-season run for the Butler men's basketball team foretells good things for the Bulldog golf team, which had won four conference titles in a row until having the streak snapped last spring.