The Mississippi State women’s golf team returns four letterwinners from last year’s squad, which finished the season placing 16th at the NCAA East Regional.
The 2004-2005 team set a school record stroke average (305.48) and finished in the top 10 in seven of the 10 tournaments in which they participated.
Returning as the Lady Bulldogs stroke average leader is junior all-Southeastern Conference performer Amanda Mathis.
The Picayune, Miss., native led MSU last season with a 75.28 stroke average and led the team in Top-10 finishes with five. She was ranked as high as 24th in the nation last season as well as tying the school record low-round of 67 at the 2005 LSU Cleveland Golf Classic.
She also took home the individual title at the 2004 Wildcat Invitational in Lexington, Ky., which was the first individual victory by an MSU player since 2000.
The Lady Bulldogs will also count on two seniors this season as Stephanie Godare and Ashleigh Korzack return for their last season at MSU.
Godare played in all 10 tournaments that State participated in last season, finishing the year with two top 20 finishes and a second place finish at the Wildcat Invitational.
Korzack played in four tournaments last season as a junior, shooting a team best 75 in the first round of the Lady Paladin Invitational last fall. Sophomore and Maryland native Julia Huh returns for her second season at State.
Huh participated in six tournaments last season for the lady Bulldogs. She shot a 235 to lead MSU in the SEC Championships last spring.
Marli Mikulecky, a British Columbia native will look to contribute after redshirting last season for the lady Bulldogs. Two newcomers join the squad for the 2005-06 season as Jillian Jones and Meridian native Leigh Phillips will look to contribute in their first year in Starkville. Jones, a native of Crossville, Tenn., is a two-time all-State selection and was named to the Chattanooga News Free Press Best of Preps Team three times.
Jones has participated in four State tournaments, finishing in the Top-5 twice. Phillips finished runner-up at the 2004 MPSA South State Championship (71) and finished tied for third at the MPSA AAA State Championship, shooting a 74.
She also took sixth place at the 2004 Exxon BFI, recording a 154 event total. Phillips was the 2004 Mississippi Junior State Amateur Champion.
MSU will compete in the same nine tournaments in the 2005-2006 season as they did in 2004-2005. The Lady Bulldogs will kick off the fall season this weekend at the Alabama/Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Alabama at the Ol’ Colony Golf Club.