April 28, 2002

WOMEN'S COLLEGIATE GOLF---Northern Illinois University at Mid-American Conference Championships / at Indian Springs, OH / Walden Ponds Golf Course / Course Information: Par---72 / Yardage---5,834 / 54-Hole Event / Friday-Sunday / April 26-28, 2002.

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS / at Indian Springs, OH / Walden Ponds Golf Course.

FINAL ROUND (54-HOLE) TEAM STANDINGS:
1 Kent State 301 289 301 -- 891
2 Ohio 322 316 319 -- 957
3 Toledo 324 322 323 -- 969
4 Eastern Michigan 328 331 319 -- 978
5 Western Michigan 324 335 328 -- 987
6 Bowling Green St. 329 321 340 -- 990
7 Northern Illinois 331 334 341 -- 1006
8 Ball State 344 354 359 -- 1057

FINAL ROUND (54-HOLE) INDIVIDUAL LEADERS:
1 Martina Gillen (KSU) 74 71 74 -- 219
2 Leigh Ann Griffin (KSU) 79 73 73 -- 225
3 Jan Dowling (KSU) 74 76 77 -- 227
4 Gabby Wedding (KSU) 74 69 86 -- 229
5 Kelly Pickett (EMU) 78 81 74 -- 233
6 Tara Hawkins (NIU) 75 77 84 -- 236
Sara Boogaard (UT) 74 81 81 -- 236
Jenny Schnipke (BGSU) 75 75 86 -- 236
9 Diane Rubin (OU) 81 80 77 -- 238
10 Breanna Hall (UT) 84 77 78 -- 239

OTHER HUSKIE SCORECARDS:
23 Allison Beam 83 82 84 -- 249
32 Janelle Warrick 89 85 86 -- 260
34 Amanda Mapley 85 90 87 -- 262
36 Michelle Hupfer 88 94 88 -- 270

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TARA HAWKINS' SIXTH-PLACE FINISH HIGHLIGHTS MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR NIU WOMEN'S GOLF
INDIAN SPRINGS, OH --- If Northern Illinois University senior women's golf Tara Hawkins (Elizabethtown, KY / North Hardin) were to write a script for the final tournament of her career, she would be hard pressed to come up with a better ending. Guided by her sixth place finish, the Huskies took seventh at the Mid-American Conference Championships with a third-round score of 341 on Sunday (April 28).

Northern Illinois fought tough weather conditions during the final two days at the Walden Ponds Golf Course in Indiana Springs, OH, to finish with a three-round total of 1,006 (331-334-341). Kent State University won for the third year in a row, tallying a winning score of 891. The Golden Flashes' Martina Gillen took medallist honors for a second straight year, carding a 219.

Paced by a career-best 75 in the opening round, Hawkins fired the lowest Northern Illinois score ever at the four-year old MAC Championships with her three-day total of 236 (75-77-84). The senior was one spot better than former Huskie Tracy Barron who had the highest NIU finish with a seventh-place tally of 239 during the inaugural league summit in 1999.

Coming in next on the Northern Illinois scorecard was Hawkins' classmate Allison Beam (Lafayette, IN / Jefferson) as she put together rounds of 83, 82 and 84 to post a 54-hole total of 249. Junior Janelle Warrick (Neenah, WI) carded an 86 during the final loop to tally a three-day score of 260 (89-85-86).

Whacking three strokes off her second round of 90 to post a final day score of 87 was junior Amanda Mapley (Davenport, IA / Bettendorf) as she ended the league summit at 262 (85-90-87). The best one-day improvement came from senior Michelle Hupfer (Crystal Lake / Central) as she shaved six strokes during the last 18 holes to tally an 88 on day three for a 54-hole score of 270 (88-94-88).

-Copy by Michael Smoose

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