Billie Jo Parker, a native of Whitewater, WI, and graduate of Whitewater High School, will compete for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater golf team during the 2019-20 season, which begins this weekend.
Parker, a sophomore at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in art (graphic design).
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater golf team will compete for an unprecedented third consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship this fall as it begins play for the 2019-20 season this weekend.
The Warhawks claimed their second straight conference title last season and survived the 54-hole cut at the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive year, placing 13th in the nation.
UW-Whitewater begins the fall season this Friday and Saturday at Carthage’s annual Shootout on the Border at Bristol Oaks. After a trip to Prairie Links in Waverly, Iowa, for the Wartburg Fall Invite on Sept. 7-8, the team heads to Ironwood Golf Course in Normal, Ill., for the annual Illinois Wesleyan Fall Classic on Sept. 14-15.
The Warhawks host the UW-Whitewater Fall Classic on Sept. 20-21 at Riverside Golf Course in Janesville for the team’s final tune-up prior to the 54-hole WIAC Championship, which is slated for Oct. 4-6 at Reedsburg Country Club.
The fall season ends with the Golfweek Division III Fall Invite Oct. 13-15 at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Fla.
The WIAC champion will qualify automatically for the NCAA Championship, which is scheduled for May 12-15, 2020, at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Fourth-year head coach Andrea Wieland returns three of the team’s five participants from last year’s national tournament as well as other veteran players. UW-Whitewater also welcomes five freshmen to the program.
The team’s senior class includes Bella Barbiere (Mequon, Wis./Homestead), Kristin Bowe (Franklin, Wis./Franklin), Ashley Hofmeister (New Berlin, Wis./Eisenhower), CheyAnn Knudsen (Milton, Wis./Milton) and Kelly Storti (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield).
Knudsen, the reigning WIAC Player of the Year and a member of the Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-Central Region team, led the team in scoring last season, averaging 78.3 strokes per 18-hole round. She led the team at the NCAA Championship with a 315, good for 34th place in the 81-player field.
Hofmeister, the 2017 WIAC Player of the Year, was named first team all-conference last season after leading the team with a runner-up finish at the WIAC Championship. She averaged a 78.9 for the season and seeks her fourth consecutive All-WIAC this fall. Hofmeister also finished among the top half of the field at the 2019 NCAA Championship, tying for 37th overall.
Storti and Bowe each enter the season with experience competing at both conference and national tournaments. Storti competed at the 2019 NCAA Championship, finishing third on the team and tied for 62nd overall, while Bowe was part of the 2018 NCAA Championship lineup, placing third on the team and 70th overall.
Barbiere played in six rounds last season and owns a career-best score of 86.
Billie Jo Parker (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater), Ashton Sinak (St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) and Lauren Winter(Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) comprise the team’s sophomore class.
Sinak played in 17 rounds in 2018-19, averaging a score of 83.1 and recording a top-five finish at the UW-Whitewater Fall Classic. Parker competed in 10 rounds a season ago, and Winter played in four rounds after joining the team at the start of the spring semester.
Newcomers to the program include freshmen Jennifer Berardi (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park), Jessica LaBerge (Bonduel, Wis./Bonduel), Madi LaPaz (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc), Lily Sheppard (Sherwood, Wis./Kaukauna) and Grace Westerman (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc).
For more than 150 years, UW-Whitewater has provided students with the education and training to begin their careers with a solid foundation behind them. The UW-Whitewater is committed to the development of the individual, the growth of personal and professional integrity and respect for diversity and global perspectives. These are met by providing academic and co-curricular programs that emphasize the pursuit of knowledge and understanding and a commitment to service within a safe and secure environment.
