NU Faces Strong Field at Big 12 Championships

The Nebraska men's golf team will face some of the nation's top teams next week when it takes part in the eighth Big 12 Conference Men's Golf Championships. The 54-hole event is scheduled for Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., with play both days slated to begin at 8 a.m. The teams will play 36 holes on Monday at Prairie Dunes, with the final 18 holes set for Tuesday morning.

The Huskers are paired with Missouri and Iowa State on the first day. The three teams will tee off beginning on the No. 1 tee on Monday morning with times from 8 to 8:40 a.m.

Nebraska enters the conference championships with momentum. The Huskers have finished first or second in each of their last three tournaments and have an outside chance of qualifying for NCAA Regional action with a high finish at the Big 12 Championships.

The field will face a stern test at Prairie Dunes Country Club. The par-70, 6,598-yard layout is ranked by GolfWeek as America's 13th-best Classical Golf Course, while Golf Digest ranked Prairie Dunes 25th on its list of America's 100 Greatest Courses in 2003. Prairie Dunes played host to the 2002 U.S. Women's Open and will hold the 2006 U.S. Senior Open.

Scouting the Field
Nine of the league's 12 teams are ranked in the top 40 in the latest GolfWeek statistical rankings. Two-time defending conferene champion Texas leads the way with a No. 7 ranking, followed by Oklahoma State (8), Oklahoma (23), Kansas (24), Colorado (32), Kansas State (35), Texas Tech (36), Baylor (38) and Texas A&M (39).

The Big 12 coaches closely mirrored the rankings in their pre-tournament poll, tabbing Oklahoma State to capture their fourth Big 12 crown and first since 2001. Texas was picked second, followed by Oklahoma and Kansas. Nebraska was picked 12th in the pre-tournament poll.

Individually, a pair of Big 12 golfers are ranked in the top 20 in the nation according to GolfWeek. Oklahoma State freshman Casey Wittenberg is 12th in the most recent rankings, fresh off a tie for 13th place at the Masters two weeks ago. Texas' Jason Hartwick was the 2003 Big 12 Championships runner-up and enters next week's tournament ranked 14th nationally.

About the Huskers
The Huskers enter the Big 12 Championships as an underdog in the strong field, but their play over the last month has given them confidence to compete at the tournament. Nebraska opened the spring with three consecutive finishes of eighth or higher, but has responded with three straight solid finishes since late March.

Nebraska captured the team title at the Pepsi-Cola Invitational in Pottsboro, Texas on March 27-28. A week later, NU was second in an 11-team field at the Branson Creek Invitational in Branson, Mo. In its most recent tournament, the Huskers stood 11th after the first day of action at the Indian Golf Classic, but jumped nine spots to second on the strength of the low team score in the final round.

The Huskers' spring resurgence has been led by the strong play of freshman Tom Bethel. A native of the Bahamas, Bethel played in only two fall tournaments and did not crack Nebraska's team lineup until the Pepsi-Cola Invitational. During the spring season, Bethel has finished in 16th or better in all five tournaments he has played, including a third-place finish at the Pepsi-Cola Invite and a fourth-place finish at Arkansas State. He enters the Big 12 Championships tied for the low stroke average on the team at 74.94 strokes per round.

Senior J.J. Sullivan has been Nebraska's most steady golfer throughout the 2003-04 campaign. Sullivan has been in the lineup for all 12 of Nebraska's tournaments and his 74.94 average ties Bethel for the lowest on the team. He has recorded four top-20 finishes during Nebraska's spring season.

Bethel and Sullivan will head Coach Bill Spangler's lineup for the Big 12 Championships. The remainder of the Nebraska five for next week's tournament include sophomore Judd Cornell, redshirt freshman Drew Reynolds and senior Chris Hartwig.

ASU Indian Classic Recap
Nebraska enters the Big 12 Championships fresh off a tie for second place at the 18-team ASU Indian Classic in Jonesboro, Ark., on April 12-13. The Huskers earned their high finish by posting the low team score on day two of the tournament, jumping nine spots from 11th place.

The first day of action at Ridge Point Country Club was shortened to 18 holes of play because of inclement weather. Nebraska fired a 299 in the first round leaving them in a tie for 11th place, 12 shots behind six teams that were tied for first at 287.

The Huskers were much stronger on the second day of action. All five Nebraska golfers fired rounds of 75 or better in the second round, including 71s from Sullivan and Reynolds and rounds of 73 by Bethel and Hartwig. Nebraska's 288 team score for the day was five shots better than team champion Iowa State, who shot a 293 in the second round for the day's second-best score. The Huskers' final 587 team total was seven shots behind the Cyclones and placed them in a tie for second with Arkansas-Little Rock, one shot in front of Southern Mississippi and Southwest Missouri State.

Bethel finished in a tie for fourth place in the individual race with a 144 total (71-73), four shots behind individual champ Jeremy Lyons of Iowa State. Hartwig and Sullivan tied for 17th place at 147, while Reynolds' strong second round moved him into a tie for 30th and Judd Cornell finished tied for 77th at 157.

Last Year's Big 12 Championships
Nebraska stood in sixth place after the first round of action at the 2003 Big 12 Championships at Southern Hills Golf Club in Tulsa, Okla., after a round of 311. However, the Huskers slipped to 10th after the second round and finished 11th with a three-round total of 945 strokes.

Seniors Jim Troy and Seth Porter were Nebraska's top two finishers at 19th and 23rd, respectively. Sullivan finished three rounds at 238 to tie for 38th, followed by Cornell (242, tie 51st) and Hartwig (252, tie 59th).

Texas captured its second straight team title with a three-round total of 894, four shots better than Oklahoma State. The Longhorns jumped to the lead after the opening round with a 296, then rallied for the crown with a final round of 297, four shots better than any other school in the third round. Oklahoma State's Hunter Mahan dominated the field in the individual race. He completed three rounds of play at two-under par 208, 13 shots ahead of second-place finisher Jason Hartwick of Texas.

Nebraska Big 12 Championship History
Nebraska finished 11th at last year's Big 12 Championship, ending a streak of three consecutive 12th-place finishes at the event. The Huskers nearly captured the 1999 Big 12 crown, finishing two shots behind team champion Kansas with a three-round total of 859 strokes.

The Huskers finished sixth and ninth, respectively, in 1997 and 1998, the first two years of the Big 12 Conference. The second-place conference finish in 1999 tied for Nebraska's best finish at a league championship since 1937. After a second-place conference finish in its first year of golf in 1935, Nebraska won back-to-back league crowns in 1936 and 1937. Since its consecutive league crowns before World War II, Nebraska has finished runner-up at the conference tournament on seven occasions (1938, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1973, 1978, 1999).

Cornell, Sullivan Honored for Academic Achievement
A pair of Huskers were honored earlier this week when they were selected to the 2004 Men's Golf Academic All-Big 12 Team. Sophomore Judd Cornell was one of 18 golfers named to the first-team all-academic squad. The Omaha native majors in business administration. Fifth-year senior J.J. Sullivan earned academic all-conference honors for the fourth straight year. An Omaha native, Sullivan graduated in December with a degree in finance.

First-teamers are those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

Husker Individual Capsules
J.J. Sullivan...Sr...Omaha, Neb. (Omaha Gross)
This Year...Sullivan has been in Nebraska's starting lineup for all 12 tournaments during the 2003-04 season...tied with freshman Tom Bethel for the best stroke average on the team at 74.94 per round...six top-20 finishes in 2003-04, including a season-best tie for seventh at Branson Creek Invite...twice has shot low round of 70.
Big 12 History...2000?Finished three rounds at 237 to tie for 57th as a freshman...2002?His 234 total earned him a tie for 53rd position...2003?finished in a tie for 39th at Southern Hills with a 238 total...Career Big 12 Championships Stroke Average...78.78...Low Round...75, twice

Chris Hartwig...Sr...Lincoln, Neb. (Norris)
This Year...Has been in Nebraska's starting five in 10 of 12 tournaments...enters Big 12 Championships with back-to-back top-20 finishes, his best two showings of 2003-04...has shot 76 or better in 10 of most recent 11 rounds...stroke average of 76.18 for season.
Big 12 History...2002?Finished 59th with a 237 total...2003?Finished tied for 59th by completing three rounds at 252...Career Big 12 Championships Stroke Average...81.5...Low Round...73 (3rd round, 2002)

Judd Cornell...So...Omaha, Neb. (Millard West)
This Year...Cornell is one of three Huskers in the starting five for all 12 tournaments in 2003-04...stroke average of 75.73 is fourth on the team...owns five top-20 finishes this season, including a tie for seventh at Sam Hall Intercollegiate, including season-low 69 in third round.
Big 12 History...2003?Finished tied for 51st, completing three rounds at 242...Career Big 12 Championships Stroke Average...80.7...Low Round...76 (1st round, 2003)

Drew Reynolds...RFr...Lee's Summit, Mo. (Blue Springs South)
This Year...Reynolds has started all 12 tournaments...stroke average of 76.09 is fifth on the team...averaged 74.5 strokes over his past 11 rounds, including a pair of 71s...has three top-20 finishes, including a tie for seventh at Branson Creek...season low 69 during fall at Squire Creek Invitational.
Big 12 History...first appearance

 Tom Bethel...Fr...Nassau, Bahamas (Heritage Academy)
This Year...Tied with J.J. Sullivan for the low stroke average on the team at 74.94 over 19 rounds...posted back-to-back top-20 finishes to start spring and earn a spot in lineup...has since added three more top-20s, including third at Pepsi-Cola Invite and fourth at ASU Indian Classic...shot Nebraska's low round of the year with a 66 in the second round of Steve Kerr Invite...averged 72.8 strokes in his last 10 rounds of play.
Big 12 History...first appearance