Huskers Set for Big 12 Championships

The Nebraska men's golf team moves into championship season this weekend as it takes part in the Big 12 Men's Golf Championships at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas.

This marks the first time the Big 12 Men's Golf Championships have been contested in the state of Texas. The first six years of the meet (1997-2002) and last year's Big 12 tournament were played at Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kan., while the 2003 tournament was played at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa.

Whispering Pines Golf Club is a Nicklaus Design located about 90 miles north of Houston. The par 72, 7,330-yard layout is regarded as one of the top courses in Texas.

In addition to moving to a new venue for the 2005 Big 12 Championships, this year's conference tournament will feature a different format. The Big 12 Championships have traditionally been contested over a two-day period, with 36 holes on the opening day, followed by 18 holes on day two. This year's meet will be played over three days with 18 holes each day, beginning on Friday, April 29. Action will continue with single rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

Nebraska is set to begin tournament play on Friday at 8:50 a.m. The Huskers will go off the 10th tee and be paired with Colorado and Iowa State.

Scouting the Field
Texas has captured the past three Big 12 Men's Golf Championships and will be among the favorites at this weekend's competition. The Longhorns enter the tournament ranked 12th nationally by GolfStat, while Oklahoma State checks in at No. 2 in the poll. The Cowboys have finished fouth or higher in every tournament this season, including five first-place showings. Texas Tech (29), Oklahoma (30), Kansas (35), Texas A&M (38) and Baylor (48) also rank among the nation's top 50 in the GolfStat rankings.

About the Huskers
Nebraska has posted a solid spring campaign, as the Huskers finished fifth or higher in four of six spring tournaments, highlighted by a tournament title at the Branson Creek Invitational in early April. The Huskers' spring performance has left them with a chance to earn an NCAA Regional bid with a strong performance at the Big 12 Championships.

Nebraska has been led this spring by sophomore Brady Schnell, who has four top-six finishes this spring. Schnell finished second at both the Pioneer Golf Classic and the Branson Creek Invitational. At the Pioneer Classic, Schnell matched the school single-round record with a round of 65 and during the spring season he has a 72.6 stroke average, lowering his 2004-05 stroke average to 73.7 strokes per round. Schnell will play in the No. 1 spot at the Big 12 meet.

Junior Judd Cornell, Schnell's high school teammate at Omaha's Millard West High School, will play in the No. 2 position this weekend. Cornell is tied with Schnell for the best stroke average on the team at 73.7. Cornell, who posted four top-20 finishes in the fall, struggled early in the spring, but has placed 17th or higher in each of Nebraska's last three tournaments.

Sophomore Drew Reynolds has been the third constant in Nebraska's lineup throughout most of the 2004-05 season. Reynolds carries a 74.5 stroke average and has a pair of top-five finishes during the spring.

The last two spots in the Nebraska lineup have varied throughout the spring. Junior Kent Schreiner and freshman Mark Pillen earned the final two spots in the lineup for the Big 12 Championships after a tight qualifying tournament in the past week. Schreiner has played in four tournaments this season, including three during the spring, while Pillen will be playing in just his second collegiate competition at the Big 12 Championships.

ASU Indian Classic Recap
Nebraska was most recently in action at the ASU Indian Golf Classic in Jonesboro, Ark., on April 11-12. Heavy rains washed out the first two rounds of the tournament, and shortened the meet to a single round. Nebraska shot a 303 in the only round of the tournament and finished 14th in the 15-team field.

The Huskers were led individually at the tournament by Cornell, who finished in a tie for 11th with a round of 71. Schnell finished in a tie for 32nd with a 74. The 14th-place finish ended a streak of three straight tournaments in which Nebraska had finished fourth or higher.

2004 Big 12 Championships
Nebraska opened with a round of 314 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchsinon, Kan., which left the Huskers in 12th position after the opening round. The Huskers rallied with a second-round 299, but could not move higher. Nebraska finished three rounds with a 926 total, six shots behind Missouri who finished 11th at 920.

Judd Cornell was Nebraska's top finisher in the tournament, tying for 20th place with a 224 total. Cornell opened with a pair of 75s on the first day of action, then capped the tournament with a 74. Senior J.J. Sullivan posted a 230 total to finish tied for 45th, while Tom Bethel (tie 52nd, 234), Chris Hartwig (58th, 241) and Drew Reynolds (59th, 246) rounded out the Husker lineup.

Texas captured its third consecutive team title with an 864 total, six shots in front of second-place Oklahoma who surged with a final round 283. Oklahoma State was third at 873, followed by Kansas State at 881. Texas' Jason Hartwick cruised to the individual title with a six-under 204 total, nine shots in front of Oklahoma's Anthony Kim.

Nebraska Big 12 Championship History
Nebraska has finished 12th in four of the past five Big 12 Championships, including the 2004 meet. The Huskers were 11th in 2003 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa. Nebraska nearly captured the 1999 Big 12 crown, finishing as the runner-up with an 859 total, two shots behind team champion Kansas.

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 titles, Nebraska has finished runner-up at the conference tournament seven times (1938, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1973, 1978, 1999).

Husker Individual Capsules

Judd Cornell...Jr...Omaha, Neb. (Millard West)
2004-2005....Cornell has been a mainstay in the lineup for each of the past three seasons...tied for team-best stroke average in 2004-05 at 73.7 strokes per round...had a standout fall season with five top-20 finishes, including a second-place finish at Fairway Club Invite and a fourth-place showing at Xavier Invite that included a career-low round of 66...has a total of eight top-20 finishes in 2004-05.
Big 12 Championships History....2003?tied for 51st with a 242 total, including a first-round 76...2004?finished in a tie for 20th place and posted three rounds of 75 or lower, including a final round 74...Career Big 12 Championships Stroke Average...77.7....Low Round...74 (3rd round, 2004)

Mark Pillen...Fr...Columbus, Neb. (Stephen F. Austin HS, Texas)
2004-2005....Pillen has played in just one tournament in 2004-05, finshing in a tie for 59th place at the 49er Collegiate Classic, Nebraska's final fall tournament...will play in the No. 5 spot after strong qualifying performance.
Big 12 Championships History....first appearance

Drew Reynolds...So...Lee's Summit, Mo. (Blue Springs South)
2004-2005....Reynolds has settled in as Nebraska's No. 3 golfer during the spring season, behind Judd Cornell and Brady Schnell...stroke average of 74.5 per round ranks third on team...has three top-10 finishes this season, including a pair of fifth-place finishes this spring...carded a career-low 68 in the final round of the Branson Creek Invitational.
Big 12 Championships History....2004?finished in 59th place with a 246 total at Prairie Dunes...Career Big 12 Championships Stroke Average...82.0...Low Round...79 (2nd round, 2004)

Brady Schnell...So...Omaha, Neb. (Millard West)
2004-2005....Schnell has asserted himself as Nebraska's No. 1 golfer during the spring season...owns a 72.6 stroke average during the spring and an overall scoring average of 73.7 during the 2004-05 campaign, tied with Cornell for tops on the team...has four top-six finishes during the spring season, including runner-up finishes at the Pioneer Classic and the Branson Creek Invitational...has six rounds of 71 or lower during the spring, including a Nebraska school-record tying 65 in the second round of the Pioneeer Golf Classic...missed Nebraska's final fall tournament after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left knee in October, but returned in time for spring season.
Big 12 Championships History....first appearance

Kent Schreiner...Jr...Ogallala, Neb.
2004-2005....Schreiner has played in four tournaments during the 2004-05 season, including three during the spring...earned the No. 4 spot in the lineup with a strong performance during Nebraska's recent team qualifying rounds...has a 77.5 stroke average in 11 rounds in 2004-05 and best finishes of a tie for 27th place at the Fairway Club Invite and the Rice Intercollegiate.
Big 12 Championships History....first appearance