Since beginning its inaugural and final season with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the eight-member Butler women’s golf squad has proven capable of holding its own.

Coming off a sweep at the Bulldog Florida Invitational in Jacksonville last week, senior Julia Porter said she is thoroughly impressed with what she’s seen this year.

“The team does a great job of being intrinsically motivated,” Porter said. “I don’t often have to redirect them or ask them to focus. They know the goals for the season (winning the MAAC) and are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve them.”

While coach Bill Mattingly hasn’t been informed of the Big East move details, he is setting his sights on the MAAC Championships starting April 26 in Orlando.

“We are looking forward to competing in conference championship at the end of April,” he said. “Both Jenna Peters and Isabella Lambert are having excellent sophomore seasons, and senior Julia Porter has been an excellent senior leader on and off the course.”

After a breakout season in which she possesses the teams’ lowest scoring average, Lambert is confident in her team’s ability to face tougher competition in the Big East next year.

“I am excited for the new conference because even though I know it will be tougher and harder competition,” Lambert said, “it will in turn make us push ourselves to rise to the occasion. I expect that the competition next year will be tough, but I know my team and I will be pushing ourselves to get to the next level and compete.”

The Butler women’s golf team tied for sixth place of 15 teams at the Indiana Invitational last weekend.

The event was scheduled to span 54 holes, but thunderstorms forced the officials to shorten the tournament to 18 holes.

The Bulldogs were led by freshman Isabella Lambert, who shot a 4-over-par 76 and finished tied for 11^th place.

“We definitely did not play our best,” senior Michele Nash said. “[Isabella] has definitely been an asset to the team. She is consistent and we can always count her to come in with a good score.”

Nash finished two strokes behind Lambert and a stroke behind senior Clare Cornelius.

“Clare really came through for our team,” Nash said. “She is capable of shooting even lower and we will definitely depend on her mental attitude, motivation as a team leader and experience going into conference.”

Butler’s next tournament will be the Horizon League Championship at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., on April 27.

The men’s golf team placed 10th of 16 teams at the two-day Indiana Invitational, which concluded Sunday.

Junior Andrew Wegeng led the team, shooting a 2-over-par 215 to finish tied for 12^th place.

“I think we were too inconsistent,” Wegeng said. “We had some good scores, but we were not able to put three or four good scores together in any of the rounds.”

Wegeng had the lowest score for the Bulldogs on both days of play, ending the first day with a 2-under-par 69.

Wegeng’s performance was not enough to move Butler up the standings, however, as the team ended the first day being in 11^th place.

“It is tough to say exactly where we needed improvement, but overall I think we struggled mainly on the greens,” Wegeng said. “We did not putt nearly well enough to contend.”

The team’s showing at Indiana was a stark contrast to its first place finish in the Big Four tournament at Crooked Stick April 5.

In that event, the Bulldogs swept the top three individual positions, with Wegeng and senior Alex Walker tying for first place overall with a 3-over-par 75. Freshman Andrew Eiler captured third place with a 7-over-par 79.

“I was proud of how I hung in there and shot 75 on a day where I was not hitting it very well,” Wegeng said. “Hitting only two fairways and seven greens in regulation at a difficult course like Crooked Stick usually results in a bad score, but I was able to turn it into a respectable score.”

The Butler women’s golf team also won at Crooked Stick.

Senior Michele Nash finished the tournament in first place, shooting a 1-under-par 71.

“It was nice to shoot under par,” Nash said. “I worked a lot on my putting during the week leading up to the tournament, and it definitely paid off.”

Senior Clare Cornelius, who finished tied for seventh place, said she was pleased with the team’s performance and is looking forward to its next tournament.

“I think we are definitely playing on a level to be successful,” Cornelius said. “We are all competitive players and have a lot of talent on this team. I am very excited and proud of this team for what we have accomplished thus far, and I believe we can continue that success for the rest of the season.”

The men’s team will compete next in the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational on April 21 in Muncie.

The women will head to Indiana Saturday for the Indiana Invitational.

A tough second round sank the Butler women’s golf team in the Bulldog Florida Invitational, which was held in Jacksonville on March 14 and 15.

The Bulldogs led the event by four strokes at the end of the first round, and senior Michele Nash had a two-stroke advantage in the individual competition after shooting a one-over par 73 in the opening round.

Butler was overtaken by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on the second day, though, and the Greyhounds won by four strokes.

Nash shot an 82 in the second round, tying her for fourth place at the end of the event.

The Bulldogs were led by freshmen Jenna Peters and Isabella Lambert, whose total scores of 151 and 152 gave them second and third-place finishes, respectively.

IUPUI junior Jordan Essman won the tournament with a total score of 150.

On March 12 and 13, Butler took part in the Benbow Invitational in Jacksonville. Following a tough opening round, the Bulldogs posted the second-lowest team score in the second round to capture third place in the 14-team field.

In the first round, none of Butler’s golfers posted a score lower than a nine-above par 81. The second round saw a complete turnaround for the Bulldogs, as four of their five scoring golfers had scores of 79 or lower.

Nash led the charge, shooting a 73 in the second round to finish in fifth place. Peters and Lambert finished tied for 11th place and 15th place, respectively.

A three-team contest featuring Butler, Evansville and Cleveland State on March 10 was cancelled.

Like their male counterparts, the Bulldogs will head home to host the Butler Spring Invitational in Avon on March 26 and 27.

Butler athletic team members with spring seasons are familiar with hitting the road for long trips to warmer locales.

The number of miles racked up by some squads may be surprising though.

Graph by Rachel Anderson

Seven of Butler’s athletic teams have made or will make at least two trips more than 600 miles from Butler during the 2011-12 school year.

Men’s and women’s golf coach Bill Mattingly said the Midwestern climate of Indianapolis makes scheduling far-off events necessary.

“In the spring, we go down south, and we try to do more [long trips] because of the better weather,” Mattingly said.

Both golf teams will head to Jacksonville, Fla., over spring break, where the Bulldogs will face non-conference opponents.

Mattingly said this helps the teams prepare for Horizon League play.

“We like to play against different teams in other conferences to help us get ready for our conference,” Mattingly said. “Playing better teams on tougher courses can get us ready for that.”

The Butler softball team is also accustomed to starting off the first month of the season in the South or on the West Coast.

The team is making a trip to Fresno, Calif., for this weekend’s 2012 Bayer CropScience Classic.

The Bulldogs will then travel from Fresno State to Pacific University in Oregon for two contests on March 14.

Senior outfielder Lauren McNulty said that while the trips may sometimes involve driving long distances, it is worth it to be able to leave the cold weather behind.

“I think I speak for all of my teammates when I say that we would take a 10-hour bus ride every weekend to play in nice weather,” McNulty said.

While the Butler football team plays its games in the fall, it is a member of the far-reaching Pioneer Football League.

While the longest trip made from Butler to another Horizon League member’s location is 349 miles for Youngstown State, annual cross-country flights are required in the PFL.

Teams from North Carolina, California, Florida and New York are currently part of the league.

Senior quarterback Andrew Huck said that while the trips offer some players a chance to see a new part of the country, they have to focus on the competition ahead.

“We had a lot of players who hadn’t been to California or on a plane before,” Huck said. “We have to keep in mind that we’re going on a business trip rather than a spring break vacation.”

Huck said the time change between Indiana and California can be difficult to cope with.

“We’ve had games start at 7 or 8 [p.m.] their time, which is 11 here, and we only have one day to overcome jet lag,” Huck said.

McNulty said that flying to games does not affect her play.

“I’ve never experienced jet lag or exhaustion after flying to a tournament,” McNulty said. “The most tiring trip is usually the trip home because we are physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted after a weekend of games.”

According to Huck, the long road trips that teams embark on are useful for improving the chemistry and camaraderie of a team’s members.

“I would say it brings you closer,” Huck said. “You’re removed from campus, and you’re really bonding with each other.”

It is that time of the year again.

No, not the wildly popular basketball spectacle that is March Madness. Rather, now is the return of a sport after a long hiatus—golf.

The golf season is split into two separate sections—one for the fall semester and one for the spring. But in between those seasons is a long break.

During that break—since the sport is technically not considered in-season—the athletes are limited to eight hours of organized practice per week. That includes activities such as working out and hitting the driving range.

It is officially time for the Butler men’s and women’s golf teams to start playing again, though.

The squads have a variety of goals and expectations as their spring season gets underway.

MEN’S TEAM

The Butler men’s golf team is looking to rebound in the upcoming spring season after a disappointing finish to the fall season.

Collegian file photo

While the team won its first tournament of the season at Green Bay and finished second in the Butler Fall Invitational, the Bulldogs placed ninth, 12th and 13th in their other three fall events.

According to coach Bill Mattingly, it all starts with trying to improve as a team.

“The conference is wide open this year,” Mattingly said. “With the guys we have, there is a good chance we could win.”

Players said they feel they have what it takes to make the ascension to champions of the Horizon League.

Junior Matt Vitale said that unity has been important for Butler.

“I think the biggest thing that it comes down to is that we all like each other and everyone enjoys the game of golf,” Vitale said.

Vitale was a walk-on to the team last year. Initially, he said he felt like he had to prove himself to show he belonged, but he does not feel the same way now.

The feeling of togetherness within the team does not stop there, though.

“The juniors and seniors have been really welcoming,” freshman Andrew Eiler said. “They have been a lot of help in transitioning from high school to college golf.”

Mattingly said Eiler is the youngest major contributor to the team.

“He came in, won his spot on the team and never gave it away,” Mattingly said.

Players say they revel in the chance to have workouts with their teammates—even if they come at 6 a.m.—as it is another opportunity to be pushed to work that much harder.

Senior Alex Walker has been on the team long enough to know the ins and outs of not only the sport but the balance of college life as well.

Walker said the preparation involved to get physically and mentally ready for the spring season should constantly be stressed, and he hopes to help players learn how to get better in order to win the conference tournament.

The Bulldogs open their spring season in Florida against Evansville and Cleveland State on March 10.

After that, the team has seven events between March 10 and April 29. Six of these are multi-day contests, three of which will take place in Florida.

WOMEN’S TEAM

The women had a successful fall season, winning three out of five invitationals.

Mattingly said he knows the transition from one season to the next can be difficult at first.

“The first few tournaments will be rough,” Mattingly said.

Players said they know this as well.

The time off is one major disadvantage of playing golf in the northern half of the country.

Collegian file photo

Thanks to weather, teams in the North are not able to practice and play on courses during their own free time like the teams in the South are.

This creates a huge disadvantage for teams like Butler, but shaking off the rust is essential if the Bulldogs plan to build on their success in the fall season.

“It’s definitely going to be difficult since [the USA Women’s Invitational] is our first tournament in a few months,” senior Michele Nash said. “Mentally, you have to prepare yourself for the spring season and expect to shoot your best scores.”

Nash is coming off a fall season in which she recorded two first-place finishes, a runner-up showing and two fifth-place finishes.

In addition to the strong play from Nash, two freshmen also contributed to the success the team had in the fall.

Both Isabella Lambert and Jenna Peters had a top-three finish at one tournament in the fall.

Mattingly heaped praises upon them and said he expects them to be “stronger, smarter and a little more poised” after having one semester of experience under their belts.

According to Peters, the Bulldogs are not merely looking to improve, though.

“I would really like to go to the NCAA tournament,” Peters said.

Mattingly said he believes an NCAA tournament appearance is possible and has gotten the players to buy into it, too.

Butler was tabbed to win the Horizon League in a preseason poll by Golfweek magazine, and the Bulldogs said they fully plan to come out firing with a strong showing in Mobile, Ala.

That is where the USA Women’s Invitational was held yesterday and today.

Nash finished in a three-way tie for fifth place at the event, leading the Bulldogs to a runner-up showing.

Lambert had the second-best showing of all Butler players, finishing in eighth.

Butler finished two strokes behind host South Alabama in the 13-team event.

The women will now compete in the same seven events as their male counterparts between March 10 and April 29.

In the Butler women’s golf team’s last tournament of the fall season, the Bulldogs took home a 10th place team finish at the Memphis Invitational.

The tournament, which ended Tuesday at the Ridgeway Country Club, featured 12 teams, including host Memphis, Boise State and Xavier.

Senior Michele Nash recorded Butler’s highest individual finish, tying for fifth place.

Nash took the course on Tuesday as the tournament leader after shooting a school record two-under-par 69 on Monday.

She shot an 80 in the second round and finished the tournament with a final-round score of 77.

Junior Julia Porter was Butler’s next highest finisher, tying for 45th. She bounced back from a first round 87 to shoot a 76 and a 79 in second and third rounds, respectively.

Freshman Isabella Lambert tied for 49th after posting a three-round total of 245.

Fellow freshman Jenna Peters tied for 52nd with a tournament score of 248, and senior Clare Cornelius rounded out Butler’s top five finishers with a total score of 256­— good enough for 67th overall.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

Memphis and Sanford each took home a share of the team title after tying with a score of 913 after 54 holes.

Playing on a familiar course, Marissa Steen of Memphis took home the individual title with scores of 71, 75 and 69. Kristen Tan of Xavier finished second.

The Bulldogs closed out a fall season that saw them win three of the five tournaments they participated in.

Butler opened the season by defeating nine other teams at the Green Bay Invitational.

The Bulldogs followed up that victory by coming out on top in a 13-team field in the Valparaiso Invitational.

The team’s third championship came in the self-hosted Butler Fall Invitational. Butler beat eight teams to take that title.

The Bulldogs pick up play again on Feb. 27 and 28 at the USA Women’s Invitational in Mobile, Ala.

The Butler women’s golf team bounced back from a tough first day to take sixth in The Preview at the Hawthorns Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.

Senior Michele Nash carried the team, finishing tied for fifth place out of nearly 100 players after shooting a two-over-par 74 in the first round. Her two-day score was 151.

“Michele played well again,” coach Bill Mattingly said. “She’s had a great fall thus far.”

For the Bulldogs, freshman Isabella Lambert tied for 18th place with a two-day score of 156.

Fellow freshman Jenna Peters tied for 29th with scores of 83 in the first round and 77 in the second for a total of 160.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

Junior Julia Porter was the fourth-best Bulldog with a two-day score of 164, good enough to tie her for 49th.

Senior Clare Cornelius rounded out the top five for Butler by tying for 61st with a two-day score of 167.

Sophomore Ali Restaino finished tied with Cornelius for 61st, and junior Alexandra Arends finished 82nd. Both were playing as non-scorers.

Toledo took home the team title by defeating Akron on the first playoff hole.

The Bulldogs had won three consecutive tournaments prior to The Preview. They opened the tournament with a team score of 318, tying them for eighth place.

They came back strong on the second day and carded a team score of 311, moving them into sixth place in the final standings.

“We have one more tournament this fall,” Mattingly said. “We can learn from mistakes this time and play better next time.”

The Bulldogs will be on the course next on Oct. 24 and 25 at the Memphis Invitational.

The only thing more ideal than Tuesday’s weather was Butler’s golf game.

Senior Michelle Nash captured medalist honors while leading the Butler women to a team championship in the Butler Fall Golf Invitational. The win marked the squad’s third tournament victory in as many tries.

The Bulldogs entered the final day of competition with a 13-stroke lead over Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The Jaguars played catch-up, shooting a tournament-best 287 in the final round of play.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

IUPUI, led by junior Jordan Essman, finished second, four strokes behind host Butler.

Essman closed out the tournament tied with Nash as both players shot identical first and second rounds, finishing with overall scores of 142. Nash, one of five Bulldogs to finish in the top 20, captured medalist honors in a playoff against Essman.

Junior Julia Porter and freshman Isabella Lambert finished tied for fifth and seventh, respectively. Freshman Jenna Peters finished tied for 12th, and senior Clare Cornelius tied for 17th.

On the men’s side, junior Andrew Wegeng also captured medalist honors and paced Butler’s men’s squad en route to a second place team finish behind IUPUI.

During Monday’s second round, Wegeng shot a school-record 65. He shot an even-par 70 in the final round to finish one stroke ahead of Eastern Illinois senior David Lawrence.

“Andrew [Wegeng] has been knocking on the door for a few years,” Butler head coach Bill Mattingly said. “He has worked hard, especially on his short game, to get to where he is.”

The Bulldogs entered Tuesday’s final round with an 11-stroke lead over eventual winner IUPUI.  Three Jaguars shot under par to lead IUPUI to a tournament-best 273 in the final round. The Jaguars finished four strokes ahead of host Butler.

Four Bulldogs finished in the top 20, including junior Matt Vitale, who finished with an overall score of 216, one stroke ahead of senior teammate Jordan Mack. Senior Alex Walker finished with a final score of 218.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

The men will get a week off before resuming play Oct. 17 at the Dayton Fall Invitational in Dayton, Ohio.

“There is always room for improvement in golf,” Wegeng said. “We beat a lot of good teams in this tournament and gained some confidence. I think we will progress really well.”
The Butler women will be in action this weekend as part of the MAC Preview in Indianapolis.

Photo by Colin Likas

There are times when all it takes is a little parental push. Senior Michele Nash and the Butler women’s golf team cannot thank Nash’s father enough for giving his daughter such a big one.

Nash, the female recipient of Butler’s Most Outstanding Athlete Award for 2010-2011, quickly rose in the golfing ranks following her entry into that junior program. She was competing in tournaments by age 14 and went into Cathedral High School prepared to make the girls’ golf team.

“We moved to a house on a [golf] course when I was 12 years old,” Nash said. “My brothers were in the junior [golfing] program and my dad convinced me to give it a shot. I signed up the day the program started.”

Not only did Nash make the team, she was a four-year player. She also formed connections with Bill Mattingly and Clare Cornelius, her head coach and senior teammate at Butler, respectively.

Mattingly was at the helm of Cathedral’s girls’ golf program through Nash’s junior year before he made the jump to Butler.

“[Mattingly’s move to Butler] helped me choose where to go [to college],” Nash said. “I know his coaching style, and it was a perfect fit for me.”

The connection between Nash and Mattingly has done wonders for both.

“I know her game well, and she trusts me,” Mattingly said. “When you are around someone that long, you know what mistakes she tends to make.”

The bond between coach and player was a key to Nash’s success last season.

In addition to her Most Outstanding Athlete Award, Nash was named Horizon League Player of the Year, chosen first team All-Horizon League and named to the Horizon League All-Tournament team. Nash led the squad with a 77.0 scoring average and recorded seven top five finishes.

The biggest moment of the 2010-11 season for Nash and the Bulldogs came in the Horizon League Championship tournament when Nash earned first place overall and led the team to its first-ever NCAA Regional berth.

“[My top moment of the season was] when we won conference as a team and got to go to regionals for the first time,” Nash said. “I am glad the team got to experience being in the same field as the bigger schools.”
Nash and the Bulldogs have also benefitted from Nash’s longtime friendship with Cornelius, whom Nash played alongside all four years of high school.

“Michele [Nash] has always been a good leader,” Cornelius said. “Our friendship sets an example for the team. It shows [the younger athletes] that you need to get along with your teammates.”

The two began their senior seasons on Monday when Butler took part in the two-day Green Bay Invitational. The first day of play ended with the Bulldogs trailing Lewis by one point.

Nash and Cornelius topped the scorecard for Butler with a 76 and a 77, respectively.

“I am really excited about the team [this season],” Nash said. “Everyone from last year is working hard, and we have some good freshmen.”

No matter what happens this season, Nash will go down as one of Butler’s top female golfers. That is not likely to mark the end of her golf career, however.

“I am taking it slow and focusing on this year, but I dream of playing professionally,” Nash said. “I know I am going to do something with golf [in the future].”