Michelle Bellish helped NKU win the GLVC

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - After winning the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship title in the fall, the Northern Kentucky University women’s golf team is looking for more victories this spring.

The team also wants to follow up its successful fall season with an appearance in the national tournament in the spring.

“Winning the conference was a big thrill for the team,” NKU head coach Daryl Landrum said. “Our goal is to find a way to finish in the top two spots at the end of the regional tournament. The east region is tough with four of the top 12 teams in the nation and only two will go to the NCAA national tournament.”

NKU hopes to use the momentum that was generated towards the end of the fall season to help it get to the national tournament. During the fall, the Norse competed in five tournaments. As a team, they finished in the top 10 of each tournament they participated in and finished second or better in three of the events.

Before their victory at the conference championship, the Norse finished first at the Southern Indiana Invitational. The momentum from the previous two wins carried over to their last invitational of the fall, the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational. The team finished second, falling to defending NCAA Division II national champion Rollins (Fla.).

“(Winning the conference) helped us believe in ourselves,” Landrum said. “We followed it up with a great tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. We only lost by one shot to the defending national champs.”

NKU is led by three-time All-American Kim Keyer-Scott. Entering into her final season with NKU, the Cincinnati native will help balance out a relatively young roster, which only has two seniors. The Norse will look to Keyer-Scott to set the pace for the rest of the team.

“She always finds a way to contribute,” Landrum said. “Kim’s biggest asset is her ability to play well when it means the most. Kim will be ready to lead us in the battle at regionals.”

Along with Keyer-Scott, other team members had solid fall seasons. Sophomore Bianca Hutton put up an impressive showing, finishing in the top five in three tournaments. Her best finish was tied for second at the GLVC tournament, along with Keyer-Scott and senior teammate Michelle Bellish.

Alicia Lawrence, a freshman from Walton, Ky., posted a fourth-place finish at the Laker Fall Classic in Allendale, Mich.

Landrum considers balance as one of his team’s strongest traits. He believes this characteristic will prove to be helpful as the team competes in several tournaments during the spring season.

“Our women’s team has five players who have the chance to shoot in the 70s every time they tee it up,” Landrum said. “Bianca and Alicia both had great fall seasons. Most teams have two or three good players, but we have five. We beat teams by being a good, solid top-to-bottom team.”

NKU starts its season on Feb. 4 at Kiawah Island, S.C. The Norse will host their own tournament, the NKU Invitational, March 25-27.