IU swinging one more time

The IU women's golf team will travel to the Lady Boilermaker Invitational this weekend as it draws toward the end of the spring season. The tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Kampen Golf Course in West Lafayette. Teams will play 36 holes Saturday and the final 18 Sunday. \nNine of the 11 Big Ten schools will be participating at the tournament, as only Ohio State and Penn State will not make the trip. \nIn addition to the No. 37 Hoosiers, six of the 12 teams in the field are currently in the Golfweek Top 50, led by No. 18 Michigan State. \nIU coach Sam Carmichael said in order for the Hoosiers to compete well this weekend, the rest of the team will need to play well and complement senior Karen Dennison's strong play. \n"We need to get better at the bottom," Carmichael said. "To compete well in the Big Ten and against other teams, you have to have good number three, four and five (golfers)."\nThe Hoosiers have not participated at the Lady Boiler since 1987, when they finished in second place (307, 310 -- 617). The team is coming off a third-place finish at the Indiana Invitational April 3 and 4. At the event, Dennison took home her second individual title of the year.\nDennison fired a new IU record for the tournament with a three-round total of 218 (76, 71, 71) and was the only player in the field under par for the tournament at four-under.\nDennison was also named Big Ten Player of the Week for her performance. This is the first time she received the conference honor and only the second IU woman ever to earn the weekly award. Natalie Tucker was awarded the Player of the Week honors in 2001. \nAs the year comes to a close, Dennison said the Lady Boiler will be a good chance to get a grasp of where the team stands against its Big Ten opponents.\n"It will be interesting to go to Purdue because we have never played a tournament there before," Dennison said. "A lot of the girls have been working hard this week. We know that a lot of the Big Ten teams will be there, so we are looking to play well against them as we get ready for the Big Ten (Championships)."\nThe Hoosiers will take six golfers to the tournament, with the four lowest scores per round contributing to the team total. Joining Dennison will be seniors Danah Ford, Ambry Bishop and Mary Lidester, junior Bethany Brunner and sophomore Molly Redfearn. \nThe end of this year will also mark the end for the seniors, and Carmichael, who will be retiring after 23 years on the job. When asked if it is tough for him to come to the end of his tenure, he smiled and answered no.\n"I enjoy (my job)," Carmichael said. "It's fun, but I am looking forward to finishing up this year."\nSome of the Hoosiers are not so eager to see Carmichael leave, as he has become such a fixture in their golfing careers.\n"It's tough, especially for me," Brunner said. "I'm coming back for my senior year, and it is uneasy to not know who your coach is going to be next year and how things are going to be. We are just excited for this year."\nThe Lady Boilermaker Invitational will be the final tournament before the Big Ten Championships are held April 23 through 25 at the Scarlet Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio.\n-- Contact staff writer David Paulen at dpaulen@indiana.edu