With the regular season coming to an end, the Iowa women’s golf team will try to maintain its focus as it heads to Indianapolis to compete in the Big Ten Championships.

The Hawkeyes will try to leave an impression; they currently sit outside the top 25 in the NCAA rankings (Northwestern being the only Big Ten member ranked in the top 25).

Despite the low ranking, head coach Megan Menzel is not worried about the competition Iowa will face.

“Golf is funny because you can’t constantly be keeping an eye out on what other people are doing,” she said. “Obviously, we are going out to play the Fort Golf Resort course, and that’s where our competition lies. We want to beat [every team], so that is kind of our mentality, to just come together and execute.”
Last year the Hawkeyes did not fare well in the conference championship, placing 10th and carding a three-round plus-46 910.

However, this year things are different. The vibe on the course is very positive, and the Hawkeyes believe that they can square up against anyone.

“We have definitely improved a lot; we have all progressed as a team, and we have beaten a lot of our records,” junior Jessie Sindlinger said. “Just having everyone being able to put up a score that all of us can score is exciting. It is exciting just knowing we can compete against anybody.”

Sindlinger will try to improve from last year’s Big Ten match, in which she carded a plus-10 226, which put her at 32nd.

Luckily for the junior, she will not go into Indianapolis alone.

The Hawkeyes boast a talented squad that includes standout Amy Ihm.

The senior from Peosta, Iowa, will try to maintain momentum rolling; she had a day to remember last weekend at the Lady Buckeye Invitational. Ihm walked out of Columbus, Ohio, carding an even-par 72 on the final 18 holes to finish with at plus-4 220, good for her sixth top-10 finish this season.

“I think I just have to stay confident,” Ihm said. “I am hitting the ball really well, so just working on some putting and cleaning some stuff up, but I’m excited about getting going. Also, two top-10 finishes the past two weeks give me a lot of confidence heading into this week.”

There is plenty at stake for the Hawks as they prepare for championship play. With an impressive performance in Indianapolis, the Hawkeyes have a chance to not only leave a mark among the Big Ten but also creep up in the NCAA rankings.