The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Women's Golf Takes On Lady Eagle Invitational
4/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 3, 2005
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The UAB women's golf team returns to action Monday and Tuesday in the 54-hole Lady Eagle Invitational hosted by Conference USA rival Southern Miss. The two-day tournament will be played at Canebrake Country Club and will play par-71, and approximately 5,900-yards.
If the Blazers need motivation heading into the tournament, they won't have to look far, or at unfamiliar circumstance. Cross-town rivals Birmingham-Southern and Samford, as well as in-state rivals Jacksonville State, South Alabama and Troy are also competing in the event. C-USA rivals Memphis and Southern Miss are competing in the event, as are Jackson State, Middle Tennessee, Lipscomb and Nicholls State.
"There will certainly be some familiar faces and some familiar rivalries," UAB head coach Kim Wilcox said. "These teams are very familiar with one another and when you see the same competition a couple of times each year, those competitive juices start flowing. We are trying to prepare for the Conference USA Tournament in a couple of weeks, so our focus isn't on these non-conference opponents, but it always makes for a little extra fun during the tournament."
UAB has a 16-10-1 head-to-head record against the Lady Eagle Invitational field this season, including a 3-1 mark against Southern Miss and a 3-0 head-to-head record against Samford. UAB also finished ahead of Memphis the only time the two have shared a tournament this year. Middle Tennessee (No. 70), Jacksonville State (No. 87) and Birmingham-Southern (No. 90) are the only three teams in the field rated higher in this week's Golfweek/Sagarin ratings. UAB stands at No. 101 as of Sunday's rankings.
The Blazers are coming off a rain-shortened, one-round tournament at the Samford Intercollegiate in which UAB finished eighth out of 17 teams. Senior Liz Schweihs notched her best individual finish of the season with a tie for eighth place after a four-over-par 75 in the round.
The last time UAB played in Hattiesburg, the Blazers won their only team title of the year, taking the Miss Louis Season Opener on Feb. 11, with a 10-stroke victory over Southern Miss, which finished second. Junior Janey Deimling took individual medalist honors, firing a then-career best 75 in the second round to finish on shot ahead of teammate Martha Hudson at 153 for the 36-holes. Deimling has since trimmed another stroke off the career best. Hudson, however, is out for the remainder of the season after shoulder surgery last week.
The Lady Eagle Invitational will be the final regular-season tune-up for UAB before travelling to Memphis, Tenn., and the Conference USA Tournament April 18-20.
