Related Links:
WIAC Women's Golf Championship Web Page
Lake Arrowhead Golf Course Web Page
 
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater golf team looks to put together three solid rounds on the final weekend of the fall season this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship at Lake Arrowhead Golf Course in Nekoosa, Wis.
 
The winner of this weekend's tournament earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, which takes place in the spring.
 
The Warhawks, who seek their first WIAC title since 1999, have finished in the top three at the conference meet in eight of the last nine years, including last year's third-place finish. UW-Eau Claire has won eight of the last 11 years, including four of the last five.
 
"We're obviously out there to win," senior Sammie Leibham (Sheboygan/North) said. "The really good teams are Stout and Eau Claire, and it'd be nice to beat Oshkosh. I think if we all have really good scores, I think we'll be right there in the mix with Eau Claire and Stout."
 
UW-Whitewater was the runner-up in gut-wrenching fashion in 2012, when the team finished one stroke shy of UW-Stout.
 
Leibham and senior Claudia Rhein (Racine/Prairie) enter the weekend as the team's top two scorers. Rhein is averaging 83.9 strokes per 18-hole round, while Leibham is close behind at 84.3.
 
Leibham competed for the Warhawks in 2012, when the team led the WIAC Championship through two rounds. She was an all-conference honoree last fall after tying for ninth at the WIAC Championship.
 
Rhein registered top 10 finishes at each of her last two tournaments, including the UW-Whitewater Fall Classic on Sept. 19-20, when she placed second out of 80 golfers and earned WIAC Player of the Week accolades.
 
Sophomore Stephanie Stair (Milton, Wis./Milton) is the Warhawks' third consistent scorer, averaging an 84.7. Three other players – sophomore Kayla Asleson (Kenosha/Tremper), senior Sarah Bregant (Sussex/Hamilton) and freshman Jess Gruber (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) – average between 89 and 91.
 
"I think we have a good chance to win this weekend," Rhein said. "Our numbers are there, we just need to get them all together. We've had three good scores together (in one tournament), but we need to find the fourth."
 
Leibham, who was tabbed WIAC Player of the Week following the team's first tournament, said UW-Whitewater played practice rounds at Lake Arrowhead during the summer and last week as part of its trip to Stevens Point.
 
The teams will play the Pines Course on Friday, the Lakes Course on Saturday and the Pines Course to close play on Sunday.
 
"It's a challenging course," Rhein said. "It's about placement, course management and hitting your spots. You always need to hit your spots, but it's especially important here because the course is less forgiving. We need to buckle down and keep our heads up straight."
 
Rhein prefers the Lakes Course, while Leibham enjoys playing the Pines Course. Despite the different inclinations, the approach for the entire team remains the same.
 
"We just have to take every shot and every hole one by one. We can't let holes behind us screw up the rest of our day. The team can't get down on itself. It's a three-day tournament. This is the only time we play a three-day tournament. We have to be positive."
 
Rhein is set to graduate from UW-Whitewater this December and will not be a part of the team this spring. She admitted it would be bittersweet to not be able to play in the NCAA Tournament, but said she would be satisfied in knowing she helped the Warhawks get there.
 
"It's my last collegiate golf tournament, so it would be awesome knowing I helped get the team (to the NCAA Tournament)," Rhein said. "This year might be our best chance to get there."
 
UW-Whitewater has placed among the top half of the field in each of its five tournaments entering this fall, including a trio top-three finishes.