IU women's golf team excited for Vegas trip

The Hoosiers won’t have a lot of time to visit casinos or gamble this week, but IU coach Clint Wallman is betting his team is ready to play well.

“I think they are in a good frame of mind right now to go out and play,” he said.

The IU women’s golf team concludes its fall season this week in the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in Las Vegas.

The Boulder Creek golf course, which will host the tournament, is a favorite of senior Amber Lindgren.

“Boulder Creek has been one of my favorite courses here in college,” she said. “Our team has set the record for low round in IU history there, and I have had my low in college there as well.”

In Wallman’s third season as the team’s coach, the year they went to the NCAA East Regional, the Hoosiers finished fourth at the 2007 UNLV Spring Invitational on their way to an all-time best three-round score of 864.

Junior Kellye Belcher is one of three juniors on the team, including Anita Gahir and Laura Nochta, who played on the team that set the three-round best.

Belcher said she, too, likes the course, its surroundings and the possibility to shoot low numbers.

“We really like this course,” she said. “It’s a real pretty course, and the greens are smooth.”

In 2007, Belcher finished 34th, along with Gahir (16) and Nochta (18).

In addition to the three juniors and Lindgren, the Hoosiers will travel with newcomer freshman Cecilia Orevik.

Having come to the U.S. from Sweden for the first time just more than a year ago and transferring from Middle Tennessee State last year, Orevik said the transition has been difficult, but added she is falling in love with Bloomington and her new teammates.

“I love my teammates; they are awesome,” Orevik said. “I couldn’t ask for any better teammates.”

While the team has spent the past week practicing a lot of individual techniques, the players hope it will translate into a great team effort. Lindgren said she is looking forward to another trip to Vegas.

“I’m very excited to play in Vegas,” she said. “The team had a good week of practice, working on pitch shots, putting and the types of shots we will be facing on Boulder Creek’s golf course.”

Through all the practice leading up to the Hoosiers’ fall season finale, Wallman is excited to see his team play and thinks they are ready to play well.

“I think the girls feel very comfortable heading to a golf course they have played very well at,” Wallman said.