Panther Womens Golf Preview

CEDAR FALLS, Ia -- The University of Northern Iowa womens golf team will begin
their spring season this weekend at the Jackrabbit Invitational in Primm, Nevada.
UNI has a quick turn around after the Jackrabbit Invitational, traveling to Tulsa,
Oklahoma for the Oral Roberts Memorial on March 19th.
The Panthers will look to build off a fall season that saw four freshman and
sophomores gain valuable experience. Coach Bermel expects his Panthers to be
able compete in a tough Missouri Valley Conference.
Our girls are very young, so with the fall season under our belts, we will be much
better during the spring, Bermel said. We have a bunch of young talent, and I
fully expect them to continue to improve under the leadership of our
upperclassmen.

To get an idea of what to expect from the womens golf team, here are some
highlights from the fall season.
When it came to scoring averages, the Panther women were all very competitive.
Four of the six who competed in the fall had a stroke per round average between
80.1 and 82.1, with one shooting 84.3 strokes per round.
Sonja Przybylski led the team with an 80.1 stroke per round average in the fall.
She paced the team in scoring in one tournament, taking 29th place after shooting a
season-best 74 in the final round at the MSU Payne Stewart Memorial. Her best
finish, however, came at the Creighton Classic when she was 16 th in the tournament
after shooting a two-round score of 166 (81-85).
Directly behind Przybylski in scoring was freshman Noreen Caporusso at 80.2
strokes per round. Caporusso played in the teams final five tournaments, and

placed either first or second on the team in four of them. At the Creighton Classic,
Caporusso tied for 10th place after shooting a two-round score of 164 (84-80). Her
best round came in the third tournament of the season, at the Oral Roberts
Shootout when she shot a 74 in the second round.
Sophomore Allison Rollinger was the most consistent contributor for the UNI women,
shooting an average score of 81.2 strokes per round and seven rounds in the 70's,
which tied Przybylski for the team lead. Rollinger had the best round on the team
last season, shooting a 73 in the second round of the Golfweek Challenge. She also
had the best finish of any player on the team, placing 9 th at the Creighton Classic.
Freshman Paige Van Dyk got off to a strong start, with four of her first six rounds in
the 70s. Van Dyks best round came during the second tournament of the season,
shooting a 75 at the Jackrabbit Fall Invite. Her best finish also came at the
Creighton Classic, finishing tied for 13th after shooting a two-round score of 165 (8580).
Caporusso, Rollinger, and Van Dyk tied for the team lead in top 15 finishes, with one
apiece.
One of two upperclassmen on the team, Taylor Van Dyk provided solid play and
leadership on an extremely young team. Van Dyk averaged 84.3 strokes per round
in the fall season in 8 rounds of play. Her best round came in the first tournament of
the season, a 79 in the final round of the Golfweek Challenge. Her best finish was
the Creighton Classic, taking 33rd place.
Freshman Maddie Bertsch came on strong last season, participating in the teams
final two tournaments. She had a top 25 finish on her resume after shooting a 171
(88-83) at the Creighton Classic. In the Braun Intercollegiate, Bertsch finished tied
for 65th, shooting a two-round score of 179 (89-89), good for fourth on the team.
As they kick off their spring season, if you ask Coach Bermel what he is most
excited about, hell say watching the development of his players.
Its going to be a joy just watching them improve with each meet now that they
know what collegiate golf is like, he said. Im going to have a lot of fun just
watching this group grow as players.