Kansas seeks to defend title at Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invite

Sept. 28, 2007

LAWRENCE, Kan. – A chance to defend the team title it won last year awaits the University of Kansas women’s golf team when it competes at the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational at Manhattan, Kan. Monday and Tuesday.

Kansas claimed the team title last season when they hosted the event at Alvamar Golf Course. The Jayhawks posted a 14-stroke victory over runner-up Notre Dame with three players finishing in the top eight individually, including Emily Powers (fourth), Amanda Costner (fifth) and Annie Giangrosso (eighth). Powers, a sophomore and Giangrosso, a senior, return to the lineup for this year’s event and will be joined by sophomores Meghan Gockel and Camilla Svensson and freshman Jennifer Clark. Freshmen Meghna Bal and Grace Thiry will play in the tournament as individuals.

Powers leads the team with a 74.17 scoring average and has posted top-10 finishes in both tournaments this year, tying for 10th at the Chip-N-Club Invitational and tying for seventh at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate. Gaiangrosso owns a 75.67 average, while Glockel is at 79.17 through two events. The tournament will mark the season debut for Svensson and Clark.

The 54-hole tournament will tacke place at Colbert Hills Golf Course. The course is 6,157 yards and plays to a par of 72. In addition to Kansas, the 13-team field includes Big 12 Conference rivals Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska, as well as Arkansas-Little Rock, Creighton, Evansville, Illinois State, North Texas, Redlands CC, Southern Mississippi, Texas State and Wichita State.

“We are looking forward to playing in the Marilynn Smith this weekend,” KU head coach Erin O’Neil said. “Colbert Hills sets up well for us and I hope the team will continue to build on what we’ve learned from the previous two tournaments.”

This past week the Jayhawks traveled to Highlands Ranch, Colo., to compete at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate. Powers fired a five-under-par 67 in the final round to vault the `Hawks to an eighth-place team finish. The sophomore from Quincy, Ill., tied for seventh individually, marking her second top-10 finish this season.

KU opened the season placing fifth at the Chip-N-Club Invitational.

For complete results at the completion of each day, please visit www.kuathletics.com or www.golfstatresults.com.