Season ends in Georgia, team looks to future

After placing 18th in the NCAA East Regionals in Athens, Ga., the Hoosiers failed to advance to the National Championship for the second straight year.\nTo advance, the Hoosiers needed to finish in the top eight – something they fell 33 strokes short of doing. \nLeading the Hoosiers was sophomore Laura Nochta, who finished 55th, while fellow sophomores Anita Gahir and Kellye Belcher placed 61st and 80th, respectively. Competing in their final tournaments as Hoosiers, seniors Elaine Harris and Lauren Harling placed 76th and 80th. \nIU coach Clint Wallman said he was sad to see the seniors go but is excited for what the future holds with IU’s three returning sophomores.\n“The day really belonged to our two seniors, Lauren Harling and Elaine Harris,” Wallman said in a statement. “The end of the day comes with mixed feelings (as) we are excited about the direction the program is going, but we are sad to see our seniors leave.”\nAdvancing to the national championship was tournament winner Florida as well as top-ranked Duke, Georgia, Auburn, Virginia, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Furman.\nWinning the tournament was South Carolina’s Benedicte Toumpsin, who beat out the top-ranked golfer in the country, Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst, by a stroke.\nThe Hoosier-less National Championship will take place on May 20-23 in Albuquerque, N.M., and will feature another Indiana team as rival and sixth-ranked Purdue advanced in their regional by placing second.