The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Women's Golf Season In Review
5/27/2004 | Women's Golf
"SEASON IN REVIEW" (complete version in PDF Format)
May 27, 2004
THE RECORD: Ole Miss wrapped up its 2003-04 season with a 92-57-1 record (.617 winning percentage).
THE TEAM FINISHES: As a team, Ole Miss collected seven top-five efforts in 2003-04 ... The Lady Rebels also posted four top-three finishes.
THE INDIVIDUAL FINISHES: Freshman Adrienne White (Red Deer, Alberta/Hunting Hills HS) led Ole Miss with eight top-20, seven top-10 and four top-five efforts ... Junior Nikki Hadd (Crestview, Fla./The Baker School) registered seven finishes in the top-20, five in the top-10 and two in the top-five ... The team posted a total of 25 top-20, 17 top-10 and seven top-five efforts on the campaign.
WHITE FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET: In just her first season as a collegiate golfer, Adrienne White made her name known ... She finished 2003-04 with the team's low stroke average (75.40), while also pacing the Lady Rebels in rounds at even-or-under par (6), top-5 finishes (4), top-10 finishes (7) and top-20 efforts (8).
THE LOW SCORES: Adrienne White, Nikki Hadd and junior Jade Polonich (Calgary, Alberta/Sir Winston Churchill) all fired rounds of 69 to finish in a three-way tie for Ole Miss' best single round of the season ... White carded her low score in the opening round of the Liz Murphey Collegiate (March 28), while Hadd posted her total in round two of the SEC Championships (April 17) and Polonich turned in her career-best effort in round one of the Cougar Classic (Sept. 15) ... White also fired the squad's low tournament score -- a 216 (76-70-70--216) at the SEC Championships.
THE HEAD COACH: Meghan Bolger has wrapped up her third season as head coach of the Ole Miss women's golf program after serving as an assistant coach for one year ... Bolger, a 2000 graduate of Tulane University, has led the program to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths after the Lady Rebels qualified just twice in the program's first 16 years of existence ... Under her guidance, the 2003-04 team posted a 92-57-1 (.617) record, seven top-five team finishes and 25 top-20 individual efforts ... On March 16, Ole Miss captured its first tournament title -- the Waterlefe Invitational -- in over two years ... In her first season, Bolger's squad claimed the Beacon Woods Invitational Title ... The scores of 297-302-286--885 marked the lowest three-round total in school history ... In addition to her coaching experience, Bolger has a proven track record as a golfer, herself ... She participated in the 2000 and 2001 U.S. Women's Amateur and won the Philadelphia Women's Match-Play Championship five straight years (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003) ... Bolger is the only woman in over 100 years to have won five consecutive titles.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER TWO YEARS: A series of steady improvements turned into a first-place finish for Ole Miss at the annual Waterlefe/USF Invitational March 15-16 ... The Lady Rebels picked up their first tournament title since Oct. 14, 2001, with rounds of 306, 302 and 318 for a total of 926 ... Nikki Hadd (70-80-79--229) and Adrienne White (74-76-79--229) tied for fifth individually at the 54-hole affair.
COACH BOLGER AFTER WINNING THE WATERLEFE INVITE TITLE: "This tournament title is a tremendous way to cap off a week in Florida ... (Assistant coach) Katherine (Mowat) and I are very excited for this group of girls ... They have been working very hard and good things usually come to those who work hard ... It's been over two years since this program has won a tournament, so, make no doubt about it, this is a major accomplishment for the entire Ole Miss women's golf family ... We have been in the thick of things all year long and it feels so good to finally get over the hump ... We have been playing much more consistent golf over the last few months ... Our No. 1 and 2 players have been incredible all season long, while our No. 3, 4 and 5 players have really stepped up in these last few tournaments ... I truly believe that we are one of the top teams in our league when we get consistent efforts throughout the line-up."
THE NCAA EAST REGIONAL: Ole Miss concluded its 2003-04 season, May 6-8, with a 19th-place effort at the NCAA East Regional ... The Lady Rebels dug a hole in round one, but improved in rounds two and three to finish with a 338-326-325--989 for the 54-hole affair at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort ... Top-ranked Duke captured the regional championship by 22 strokes with a 286-292-291--869 ... Nikki Hadd finished the three-day tournament with an 82-77-77--236, while sophomore Sarah Kate Cousart (Athens, Ga./Oconee HS) wrapped up the event with an 87-82-82--251 ... Jade Polonich concluded her collegiate career with an 89-84-78--251 ... Polonich, a senior academically, decided to forego her final year of eligibility and graduated from the university in May of 2004 ... Sophomore Laura Evans (Dalton, Ga./Dalton HS) suffered through a tough three-day period which resulted in an 81-83-88--252, while freshman Katie Davidson (Bonaire, Ga./Warner Robins HS), who was competing in just her fourth spring tournament, turned in an 88-86-90--264.
COACH BOLGER AFTER THE NCAA REGIONAL: "This is a tough way to end the season, but I don't think it should overshadow all of our accomplishments throughout the year ... This season provided many challenges for the young women on this team, but I'm proud of them for sticking to the plan and working hard to overcome those tough times ... We experienced a lot of success during our spring season and I think that was a result of hard work and confidence ... We definitely improved over the course of the year ... Yes, we had hoped to finish a little higher in this regional, but we still have a lot to be proud of ... We won the Waterlefe Invitational and ended up with three top-five finishes in the spring, alone ... I think those accomplishments say a lot about this young program."
THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Lady Rebels finished eighth out of 12 teams at the 2004 Southeastern Conference Championships April 16-18 ... The tournament was hosted by LSU and played at the University Golf Club in Baton Rouge, La. ... Adrienne White fired a 70 on the tournament's final day, while Nikki Hadd posted a 73 ... Vanderbilt was crowned tournament champion after turning in a 295-291-291--877 ... After struggling through a rough first round, White re-grouped to card back-to-back 70s in rounds two and three ... The end result was third place (76-70-70--216, E) in her first year at the league finale ... Hadd, meanwhile, opened the tournament with a tough first day before posting a 69 (-3) on day two and a 73 on day three ... The effort allowed her to finish in a three-way tie for seventh (77-69-73--219, +3) overall ... Laura Evans finished the three-day event with a 79-79-75--233, while Jade Polonich fired a 83-77-80--240 and Sarah Kate Cousart recorded an 86-80-77--243.
WHITE HONORED BY THE SEC: Adrienne White was recognized by the Southeastern Conference as a Second-Team All-SEC selection, the league office announced April 23 ... White joined an elite group as just the fifth individual in the program's 18-year history to be honored by the league office ... She also earned the distinction of being the first Ole Miss freshman named to the conference's second team ... Megan Breen (1996) and Robyn Rinaldo (1997) earned honorable mention accolades during their freshman seasons ... White carded a 76-70-70--216 (E) at the 2004 SEC Championships to place third individually ... The three-round total was her career best ... White, who also finished with the team's low stroke average (75.40), turned in six rounds at even-or-under par in 2003-04 ... She also recorded four top-five finishes, seven top-10 finishes and eight top-20 efforts.
EVANS NAMED TO THE GOOD WORKS TEAM: Laura Evans was named to the 2004 SEC Women's Golf Good Works Team, the league office announced April 19 ... The inaugural team was designed to honor student-athletes who give back to their community in superior service efforts ... Evans is a member of the Ole Miss Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has participated in the "Reading with the Rebels" program ... She has also worked with children who have special needs as part of the local Special Olympics program ... In addition, Evans has assisted elderly people as a volunteer at an area retirement home.
TEAM AWARDS FOR 2003-04: The women's golf team had its annual end-of-the-year banquet April 24 at Doe's Eat Place in Oxford ... The banquet was in conjunction with the annual Parents' Weekend ... Several mothers and fathers joined their daughters for a round of golf earlier in the day ... Approximately 25 people -- including athletic administrators, support staff personnel and parents -- were on hand at the banquet to honor the 2003-04 team and its accomplishments ... Head coach Meghan Bolger and assistant coach Katherine Mowat recognized four individuals with five different awards at the banquet ... Adrienne White, who placed third at the 2004 SEC Championships, was honored for having the team's low stroke average (75.40) ... The Red Deer, Alberta, native also picked up the program's Rebel Ringer Award for posting its top practice scores throughout the season ... Nikki Hadd, who hails from Crestview, Fla., was recognized as the Lady Rebel Award Winner ... Freshman Katie Davidson, who prepped in Bonaire, Ga., was honored as the squad's Most Improved Player ... In addition, Jade Polonich was named the Coach's Award Winner for her efforts throughout the campaign ... A native of Calgary, Alberta, Polonich decided to forego her final season of eligibility and graduated from Ole Miss in May of 2004.
