BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Illinois Wesleyan University has been selected as the host school for the 2000 NCAA Division III women's golf tournament.

Sixty competitors will converge on Bloomington's Prairie Vista Golf Course next May 16-19 to participate in the first-ever Division III only national event. Ten teams, two from each of the five NCAA regions, with five players per team along with 10 more individuals, will compete for the national title in the 72-hole tournament.

"We're obviously very excited about having the tournament in Bloomington-Normal area," said IWU head coach Kathy Niepagen. "It's great to have a quality course like Prairie Vista to play on and we hope the community will get involved in the event."

Anyone interested in volunteering for the event should contact Niepagen at (309) 827-3411.

Previously, Division III and Division II schools have competed in a combined national event, which was won this spring by Methodist (N.C.), a Division III school that also won the Division II/III titles in 1996 and 1998 and placed second in 1997.

Five other Division III schools were in the top 10 with Hardin-Simmons (Texas) placing fourth, Concordia in a sixth place tie, Simpson (Iowa) eighth, Franklin (Ind.) ninth, and Luther (Iowa) was tenth.

"It's a real tribute to our program that, in only its fourth year of existence, our women's golf team and school has been chosen as hosts for the national tournament," said athletic director Dennie Bridges. "It will be an exciting year at IWU with this tournament, the national Division III indoor track meet (in March) and the celebration of the university's 150^th birthday in 2000."

Niepagen also sees the Illinois Wesleyan team as a potential entrant in the tournament. The Titans return five letterwinners to their 1999-2000 team, including two-time "Most Valuable Player" Jodi Smallenberger (Morton HS), who played in the Illinois women's state amateur tourney last week.

Smallenberger, who will be a senior, was the Titansâ low scorer in nine of 11 meets last fall, medalist of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin meet.

Others on the IWU women's team include juniors Mandy Watson (Normal, Community HS) and Kelly Kostock (Elgin, Burlington Central HS), and sophomores Melissa McMahon (Minier, Stanford Olympia HS) and Amy Cline (Decatur, Eisenhower HS).
 

14 June 1999
CONTACTS: Stew Salowitz, (309) 556-3206
and/or head coach Kathy Niepagen, (309) 827-3411