University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Set to Open 2017-18 Campaign
9/7/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Accustomed to opening the season at home, the first weekend of competition for the Minnesota women's golf team will be twice as nice this year as the Gophers begin the 2017-18 campaign.
On Saturday, the Gophers will host Michigan State in Wayzata for a match-play dual. Saturday's event is not open to the public, but GopherSports.com will provide a full recap of the competition.
Following the competition with the Spartans, the Gophers will welcome a talented field to the Twin Cities for the fifth annual Minnesota Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, September 11-12. Action will begin at 7:45 a.m. at Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury, with 36 holes scheduled Monday followed by an 18-hole shotgun start on Tuesday.
The Minnesota Invitational is free and open to the public. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat at the link above.
Seven teams return from last year's invitational, including defending champion Purdue. Nine teams from the field this season were participants in an NCAA Regional last spring. Making up the field alongside the Maroon & Gold will be fellow Big Ten members Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin, as well as Kansas, Kansas State, BYU, East Carolina, Georgia, USC, Virginia Tech, North Texas, Notre Dame and Louisville.
A duo of seniors anchor the veteran core in Heather Ciskowski (Barrington, Ill.) and Sabrine Garrison (Calgary, Alberta). Ciskowski is the top returning player after a season average of 75.33, while Garrison had the best spring among the returners averaging 75.60. Two more veterans in juniors Muyu Wu (Hangzhou, China) and Maggie Heggerston (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) also will be back, while second-year Gopher Christine Portillo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) will see action on the course after redshirting her freshman season in 2016-17. Four new freshmen join the squad in Joanne Free (Gullane, Scotland), Grace Kellar (Edina, Minn.), Jessica Lee (Hinsdale, Ill.), and Kate Lillie (St. Charles, Ill.).
Players Mentioned
