Hoosiers to face strong field

The IU women's golf team will participate in the 2004 Big Ten Championships this weekend -- its final tournament of the year before the NCAA Regional Tournament. Ohio State University will serve as host for the tournament, which will be held today through Sunday at the OSU Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. The Hoosiers will play 36 holes today and 18 Saturday and Sunday. This is the first 72-hole tournament of the year for the team. \nOf the 11 Big Ten teams participating, 10 are in the top 100 of the Golfweek rankings. Five are in the top 50, and host Ohio State is highest, ranked No. 3 in the country. The Hoosiers have moved up in the rankings in each of the last three weeks and are ranked No. 32 going into this weekend. \nOnly Ohio State and No. 19 Michigan State are ranked higher than the Hoosiers.\nThe Hoosiers have won the Big Ten title seven times, placing them second conference. Their last win came in 1998, when they won their third title in a span of four years. \nComing into the Big Ten Championships, the Hoosier women have won medalist honors in each of the last two tournaments. \nSenior Danah Ford was the latest Hoosier to capture an individual victory, as she took home the Lady Boilermaker Invitational title last week. Ford set personal records for her 18-hole (68) and 36-hole (139) scores and was one stroke shy of the all-time IU records for both totals.\nFor her strong play, Ford was named Big Ten Player of the Week this week. It is only the third time an IU woman has received the weekly conference honor. \nSenior Karen Dennison was also named Player of the Week this season after her victory at the Indiana Invitational April 3 and 4. Ford and Dennison join former IU golfer Natalie Tucker as the only Hoosiers to win the honor. Tucker received the award in 2001. \nThe Hoosiers will take six golfers to the tournament, with the four lowest scores per round contributing to the team total. Joining Ford and Dennison will be seniors Ambry Bishop and Mary Lidester, junior Bethany Brunner and sophomore Molly Redfearn. \nLast year, IU finished eighth at the Big Ten Championships, shooting a four-round 1,237. Dennison took home the individual medalist honors with a four-round total of 294, becoming the sixth Hoosier to win the tournament. Ford, Bishop, Lidester and Redfearn all competed last year at the event. This will be Brunner's first Big Ten Championship appearance.\nAfter the Big Ten Championships, the Hoosiers will prepare for what may be their final tournament of the year. The 2004 NCAA Regional Tournament will be held May 6 through 8. The location will be determined at a later date. If the Hoosiers place well enough at the Regional Tournament, they will qualify for the NCAA Championships, held May 18 through 21 in Auburn, Ala.