April 17, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern travels south to Columbus, Ohio, competing in the 28th-annual Lady Buckeye Invitational at Scarlet Course April 19-20. It is the final tune-up for the Wildcats before the Big Ten Championships in University Park, Pa., April 25-27.

The 12-team field will once again be dominated by Big Ten schools, as NU will go head-to-head with Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin, in addition to the host Buckeyes. Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Nebraska and Toledo round out the participants.

Northwestern is coming off a ninth-place finish at the Indiana Invitational on April 7-8, shooting a 55-over 919. Junior Jennifer Hong (Windermere, Fla./The First Academy) led the 'Cats in scoring for the fifth time this year, shooting a 12-over 228 (72-74-82) to finish 28th. Freshman Rebecca Lederhausen (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) had an impressive outing as well, shooting a team-best 74 in the final round to finish at 14-over (77-79-74). Seniors Brittany Johnston (Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Katie Trachok (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) and freshman Kelsey Lindenschmidt (West Chester, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) will round out the participants for the Wildcats.

Johnston was the top Wildcat performer at the Lady Buckeye last year, shooting a 15-over 231 (74-80-77) to place ninth and help Northwestern to its sixth-place finish. Trachok tied for 21st-place with a 22-over 238 (76-82-80) while Hong finished 30th, carding a 24-over 240 (78-84-78).

It is a big weekend for NU as it looks to remain in the hunt to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats enter the weekend with an overall record of 53-62-1 (.461), and need to finish with a winning percentage above .500 to qualify. Live scoring of the Lady Buckeye Invitational is available at golfstat.com.