Sept. 11, 2003

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The Viking women's golf team opens their 2003 fall season this weekend at the Bowling Green Lady Falcon Invitational which will be played from Saturday, Sept. 13 to Sunday, Sept. 14 at Forrest Creason Golf Club on the campus of BGSU. The tournament plays as 18 holes the first day and 18 on the second.

The men's squad will follow the women to Bowling Green for their season opener at the BGSU John Piper Intercollegiate on Monday, Sept. 15. The 54-hole tournament breaks down into 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday. Last fall at the Intercollegiate, the Viking men placed third overall, with Billy Houle (Joliette, Quebec/Georges Vanier) pacing the team with a second-place score of 211.

Women's Team to Continue Winning Ways:
The core of the Vikings squad will remain intact for this fall, as four of their five team scorers from last season return. Sophomore Kristen Obush (Indiana, Pa./Indiana Area) will look to continue her success from last season, when she earned a spot on the all-Horizon League team after posting an 83.75 average in six spring tournaments. She also became the first-ever Viking women's golfer to pick up medalist honors, as she carded an 80-83---163 for first at the Malone Fall Invitational last fall.

Additionally, newcomer Katie McLaughlin (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) is expected to be an immediate contributor to the squad's success. "Katie makes a great first impression," commented head coach Tom Porten. "She has spent a lot of time in our Tec Room honing her swing over the summer."

In just their second full year of existence, the women's team picked up their first ever first-place finish at the Malone Fall Invitational. The team went on to post two more top-three finishes last year, earning coach Porten Horizon League Women's Golf Coach of the Year honors.

New Leadership Ready to Contribute:
Entering the fall, the men's squad will be led by co-captains Billy Houle and Mike Bognar (Seven Hills, Ohio/Normandy), a pair of seniors with experience on their resume. All-Horizon League team member Houle will play in his second season with the club after transferring from Midland Junior College, while Bognar will return for his fourth season. Bognar and Houle, along with sophomore Cody Harris (Belle River, Ontario/St. Anne's) played in 54 of the 90 team scoring rounds last spring.

The men's team also picked up three new additions for the upcoming season. Ben Grandy (Southgate, Mich./Gabriel Richards) and Mike Rutgers (Kingsville, Ontario/Cardinal Carter) will begin their freshman years this fall while Tony Zanotti (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville) enters his sophomore season as a transfer from Liberty University.

In addition to Houle and Bognar, juniors Bill Schaefer (Independence, Ohio/Independence) and Jim Weikamp (North Royalton, Ohio/North Royalton) and freshman Mike Rutgers (Kingsville, Ontario/Cardinal Carter) will compete in the opener.