After another strong showing, the Hawkeyes will compete at the Aggie Invitational.

By Jake Mosbach
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After posting another solid finish last week in Columbia, Missouri, the Iowa women’s golf team will try to maintain the momentum as it begins competition today in the Aggie Invitational in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The 54-hole tournament, hosted by New Mexico State, will span the course of three days with the final round concluding on Wednesday. All three rounds will begin with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start.

The Hawkeyes will be part of a 14-team field comprising New Mexico State, BYU, Northern Arizona, Utah Valley, Portland State, Nevada, Boise State, Texas-Rio Grand Valley, Idaho, Texas-El Paso, California-Riverside, Cal-Irvine, and North Texas.

Head coach Megan Menzel said the Hawks eagerly await the tournament as they continue their fall schedule. Their team score of 864 at the Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia broke a program record by an impressive 15 strokes.

“The year has definitely gotten off to a good start, and we’re feeling some great momentum,” Menzel said. “This team is special, because even when something good happens, they aren’t satisfied. They are always looking for the next challenge.”

Menzel’s squad is coming off a third-place finish last week, and the lineup will remain largely unchanged, with the exception of the fifth-place spot.

Senior Amy Ihm, who is fresh off of being named the Big Ten Golfer of the Week, will hold the first spot. Sophomores Elisa Suarez and Jessica Ip, junior Jessie Sindlinger, and freshman Kristin Glesne will fill the remaining four. Glesne returns to the lineup after being absent for last week’s tournament.

Ihm enters the Aggie Invitational after posting two career-best rounds and finishing tied for eighth place last week. She viewed the performance as a great steppingstone for the remainder of the fall season.

“This is only the beginning,” Ihm said after the Johnie Imes Invitational. “We have a lot to look forward to, and we are just going to keep going and push off this momentum.”

Menzel said that Ihm’s award-winning play would benefit the team.

“We were all so happy for Amy. It [Big Ten Golfer of the Week], was such a great honor for her,” Menzel said. “The whole team can definitely feed off of it and use it as motivation to continue to elevate their level of play.”

Assistant coach Mike Roters believes that the mindset of the team has been the key to a successful fall campaign.

With finishes of first and third-place so far, Roters said, another win at this week’s Aggie Invitational is possible.

“The girls are in a great place mentally,” he said. “Anything is possible … as a whole, they know they can win now.”

Today’s first round will begin the team’s longest road trip of the fall season thus far, but Menzel said the trip should have no adverse effects on her determined group.

“We plan very well [for road trips], and we’ll get to the course early so we have time to get comfortable with the new location,” she said.

“The team felt good after Columbia, and we are just in a playing mood right now,” she said. “We did some work on wedges and short game … now we’re just excited to get on the road and compete again.”

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