Wisconsin will look to continue its recent run of success this weekend at the Iowa Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa. The two-day event begins Saturday, Oct. 4.
The Badgers (No. 45 in the Golfweek rankings) are coming off a prosperous weekend. Wisconsin placed second out of 12 teams in the Badger Invitational, and freshman Jessie Gerry won the competition outright as an individual.
En route to her victory, Gerry tied both the school and tournament record. Gerry shot a 215 in the three-round event, which tied the tournament record set in 2006 and the school record set in 2001. Gerry was also the first Badger to win the event since Kate Elliot in 2006.
Now Wisconsin turns its attention to the Iowa Invitational while hoping to keep its momentum in full swing.
Gerry has certainly given the Badgers a boost, but head coach Todd Orlein has been pleased with the play of his team as a whole.
Right now we're playing well. We've had a lot of production from a lot of players; good depth,"" Orlein said.
Last weekend, the Badgers had two golfers finish in the top 10. Junior Molly Schemm shot a score of 220 to finish tied for fifth, and junior Kelsey Verbeten shot a 223 to finish in a 10th-place tie in the event.
Orlein hopes his team will continue to perform well across the board in Iowa City.
""[I want] solid consistency from five players all weekend,"" Orelin said.
This tournament may be one of Wisconsin's best chances to win as a team, as the Badgers are the only squad participating ranked in the top 50. Wisconsin's most formidable competitor could be Central Arkansas, ranked No. 57. Other notable participating challengers from the 15-team field are No. 86 Illinois State, No. 87 Longwood, No. 89 Bradley and No. 99 Ball State.
In preparation for the event, Wisconsin has spent some extra time working on its short game. According to Orelin, Iowa has one of the quicker and slicker greens.
This will be the Badgers' third event of the season. Before finishing second in the Badger Invitational, Wisconsin finished 11th out of 15 at the Cougar Classic in Hanahan, S.C.
After the Iowa Invitational, only two events remain on Wisconsin's fall schedule; the Lady Northern Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind., and the Edwin-Watts Palmetto Intercollegiate in Charleston, S.C.
