Huskers Take Aim at Another NCAA Bid in 2024

The Nebraska women’s golf team shoots for its third NCAA Regional appearance in the past four seasons, when the Huskers take aim at the 2023-24 campaign.

 

Coach Jeanne Sutherland, who led her 19th collegiate team to an NCAA Regional berth in her first season as Nebraska’s head coach in 2022-23, thinks the Huskers can continue to improve in her second season in Lincoln.

 

“We have some strong golfers with some really good experience back to lead our team this season,” Sutherland said. “Our seniors Lindsey Thiele and Michaela Vavrova have played a lot of golf as Huskers, and Kelli Ann Strand and Miu Takahashi had two of the best seasons in school history by underclass golfers a year ago. We have some of the pieces in place, but we will need to be committed to improving every day and building great team chemistry if we we want to achieve our goals.”

 

Although the Huskers must replace a five-year member of the lineup with the loss of Megan Whittaker to graduation, the cupboard is far from bare for the Big Red.

 

Five of Nebraska’s top six golfers from 2022-23 return, including All-Big Ten performer Kelli Ann Strand. The sophomore from Challis, Idaho, smashed the Husker single-season record with her 72.05 stroke average while competing in every team round for the Big Red as a true freshman.

 

Strand opened the season by firing a school-record 202 (-14),  including a Nebraska freshman-record 65 (-7) on her way to capturing an individual title at the Green Wave Classic. The second-team All-Big Ten choice ended her first season as a Husker with six top-10 tournament finishes, while tying for 20th at the Big Ten Championship before concluding the year with a tie for 30th at the NCAA Raleigh Regional.

 

After a strong summer that included appearances in the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the Women’s Western Amateur, Strand is preparing to show growth as a sophomore.

 

Strand was joined at the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur by teammate Miu Takahashi. The junior from Nasu-machi, Japan, finished with Nebraska’s No. 3 stroke average last season, trailing only Strand and Whittaker. Takahashi’s sophomore season featured three top-10 finishes, including an individual championship at the Dale McNamara Invitational. After producing a Nebraska sophomore record 73.49 stroke average for the Huskers, she claimed the Nebraska Women’s Amateur Championship in the summer of 2023. 

 

Senior Lindsey Thiele adds talent, experience and leadership for the Huskers on and off the course in 2023-24. The fourth-year golfer from Wahoo, Neb., posted a career-best 74.88 stroke average while competing in every round for the Big Red last season. A steady influence in the middle of the lineup with the ability to go low, Thiele notched seven top-35 finishes a year ago, including a season-best tie for eighth at the Green Wave Classic.

 

Thiele is also a three-time WGCA Scholastic All-American and one of the most active Huskers in the community. She follows in the footsteps of older sisters Haley and Hannah as Nebraska women’s golf letterwinners.

 

Michaela Vavrova adds a fourth returning starter to Nebraska’s lineup. The senior from Bojnice, Slovakia ranked fifth among the Huskers with a 75.80 stroke average last season. One of Nebraska’s most experienced golfers, Vavrova was the 2022 Slovakian Player of the Year. She also owns more career collegiate rounds (83.5) than any other active Husker.

 

The Huskers also bring back Andrea Velez, who was regularly Nebraska’s No. 5 or No. 6 golfer in 2022-23. Velez earned lineup spots at the Green Wave Classic, Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational, Lady Buckeye Invitational and the Big Ten Championship. She played in 26.5 rounds on the season and posted a solid 76.91 stroke average. The junior from Pereira, Colombia hopes to put together her best season in 2023-24 to help solidify a spot in the Big Red lineup.

 

Third-year Huskers Lena Hassert (Kreuzau, Germany) and Brooke Bream (Phoenix, Ariz.) and redshirt freshman Sydney Harz (Freiburg, Germany) plan to push for spots in the Nebraska lineup along with true freshman Arden Louchheim. A three-time Utah Class 2A High School Champion, Louchheim captured the 2023 Utah Girls Amateur title over the summer. A two-time Girls Junior Americas Cup Team member, Louchheim was also a four-time participant at the IMG Junior World Championships.

 

“We’re so pleased to sign Arden and have her join the Huskers,” Sutherland said. “She is a very talented athlete and is focused on being the best player she can be in the future. Arden is also an excellent student and a wonderful person, so she will add to our team in many ways.”

 

The Huskers also added freshmen Mackenzie Bream and Leah Herbel to the mix for 2023-24. Nebraska’s 11-player roster, which features golfers from five countries (Colombia, Germany, Japan, Slovakia, United States), will be challenged by an aggressive schedule. 

 

The Huskers open the season at the Sam Golden Invitational at Oakmont Country Club in Corinth, Texas (Sept. 11-12), before traveling to East Lansing, Mich., for the Mary Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West Golf Course. The trip to Michigan State could serve as a preview for the postseason, as the Spartans will host one of the five NCAA Regionals in early May. It will be Nebraska’s first trip to the Mary Fossum Invitational since the fall of 2002.

 

The Big Red return to Oklahoma for the Dale McNamara Invitational (Oct. 10-11) for the third consecutive season. Nebraska finished second in the 13-team field at Tulsa’s tournament in the fall of 2021, before adding another runner-up finish in a 13-team field in 2022. The 2023 edition will be held at the Golf Club of Oklahoma in Broken Arrow.

Nebraska closes its 2023 fall campaign by traveling to North Carolina for its first-ever appearance at the Landfall Tradition (Oct. 27-29), hosted by UNC Wilmington.

 

After competing against four challenging fields during the fall, the Huskers will prepare for a busy spring season that includes six tournaments and the Big Ten Championship. Nebraska’s spring season opens at the UCF Challenge at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Fla. (Feb. 4-6), before the Huskers return to Florida for the Spartan Sun Coast Invitational at Palm Aire CC in Sarasota (Feb. 18-19).

 

The following week, Nebraska journeys to Peoria, Ariz., to defend its 2023 team championship at the Westbrook Spring Invitational at Westbrook Village Golf Club (Feb. 25-26).

The Huskers return to South Carolina for the third consecutive season to compete in the Briar’s Creek Invitational hosted by the College of Charleston. Competition at the Golf Club at Briar’s Creek on John’s Island runs March 11-12, before the Huskers head back to the Sunshine State to compete in the Florida State Match Up at the Seminole Legacy Golf Club in Tallahassee (March 15-17).

 

The Big Red will take nearly a month-long break from competition to prepare for the Lady Buckeye Invitational at the Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio (April 13-14), as a final tune-up for the Big Ten Championship. The 2024 conference tournament will be held for the first time at Bulle Rock Golf Club in Havre de Grace, Md. (April 19-21).

 

NCAA Regionals are scheduled to be held in Auburn, Ala., College Station, Texas, East Lansing, Mich., Las Vegas, Nev., and Winston-Salem, N.C. (May 5-7), before the NCAA Championship moves to the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa Champions Course in Carlsbad, Calif. (May 16-21).