WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita State women's golf team opens the 2018-19 season with the Payne Stewart Memorial on Sept. 10-11, held at the Twin Oaks Country Club in Springfield, Mo.
 
The Shockers return four members from last year's team and welcomes four newcomers. Senior Michelle Ledermann looks to finish her career on a strong note. Her 76.89 career stroke average is the fourth best in Shocker history. Sophomore Hana Mirnik had a strong first season in which she had one top 10 finish and three top 20 finishes. Mirnik also posted a 75.92 stroke average last season, which is the best single-season average by a freshman in program history and number nine all-time.
 
The field at the Payne Stewart memorial features 12 teams. Two former Missouri Valley Conference foes, Creighton and host Missouri State, are featured, as well as UTEP, Arkansas State, Austin Peay, McNeese State, Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts, South Dakota, and UMKC. The Shockers finished fourth at this event last year, with Mirnik finishing the highest of returning Shocker golfers at 12th.  
 
Twin Oaks Country Club features a 6,001-yard, par-71 course. Freshmen Aufa Rachmadya and Mar Vidal are making their collegiate debuts and will be joined by Mirnik, Ledermann, and senior Annika Chickering on the scorecard. Freshmen Sarah Lawson and Valerie Routzong and sophomore Chiara Arya will be competing at the event as individuals.
 
Wichita State will begin play on Monday, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring will not be available for the tournament, but full results will be announced at the conclusion of each day.

Straight from the Clubhouse
Head Coach Tom McCurdy
"I'm excited to see how we play at Twin Oaks. It's a tight golf course and some of the green are tough to read. It'll be a solid test for our two freshmen in the lineup, but their style of play fits well at Twin Oaks. Annika, Michelle, and Hana all qualified really well and are playing with confidence. I think there's a chance that we'll have a very good week."