Strong play in this weekend’s Big 12 women’s golf tournament could propel the ISU women’s golf team to its first NCAA regional bid since 1996, when the conference was still the Big Eight.

The golfers begin play Friday in Austin, Texas, and need the cogs of the team to step up in their most important tournament of the spring.

After a fall semester in which several records fell, the golfers were left to wonder what would happen in the spring when coach Julie Manning left the team after 20 years at the helm.

The coaching vacancy was filled by Christie Hermes, and in turn much of the inconsistency that has plagued the team has vanished.

“We are certainly capable of winning the Big 12 Championship; it’s just a matter of putting it all together at the right time,” Hermes said in a press release.

“We have the talent, we just have to continue to work hard and hopefully get everyone playing well at the same time.”

The talent of the ISU team has been evident throughout the spring. The two senior leaders, Louise Kenney and Lisa Meshke have put together good senior seasons for the team. Play from the underclassmen has been above average, but they have not all played well at the same time.

Kenney was named Big 12 golfer of the month in March, and has a 74.4-stroke average for 18 holes. Meshke set a new 18-hole school record with a score of 69.

As of late, the underclassmen have been playing well. Freshmen Jess Shin and Kendra Hanson each set new individual 54-hole lows, with a 229 and 233, respectively.

“Everyone wants to play well on this team. The only pressure we face to play well is self-induced,” Hermes said in the release. “We can use that in a positive manner and hopefully it will be advantageous and lead to a solid performance down in Texas.”

The golf team has finished in the top 10 of each tournament it has participated in this spring. The highlight of the spring was a fifth-place finish in Arizona three weeks ago.

With high expectations from a fall in which the Cyclones never finished lower than fifth, there is a lot riding on the Big 12 Championships.

“We’re right on the bubble right now [for an NCAA berth], we just have to play well,” Hermes said in the release.

“It’s not who you have to beat, we just have to shoot good numbers and not worry about the rankings. Qualifying will take care of itself.”