Completed Event: Women's Golf versus Stanford Intercollegiate on October 17, 2025 , , 9th/19
Final
Women's Golf
Stanford Intercollegiate
9th/19
Iowa State University Athletics
No. 15 Iowa State Enters Big 12 Championship As Top Seed
04.22.2011 | Women's Golf
NOTES/STATS
AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State women's golf team enters the 2011 Big 12 Championships this weekend (April 22-24) in Columbia, Mo., as one of the teams to beat. The Cyclones have been bestowed this honor by recording their greatest season in school history, finishing first or second as a team in six of 11 events, including three tournament titles in the 2010-11 campaign.
Iowa State is the highest-rated team in the Big 12 while earning the top-seed in the tournament. The Cyclones are ranked No. 15, their highest ranking in school history, by both Golfstat and GolfWorld. Iowa State also rings in at No. 21 in the latest Golfweek poll, tops in the league in all three rating systems. Iowa State's 19-1 mark vs. Big 12 opponents this season affirms its rise as a Big 12 contender.
The Cyclone golf program has grown leaps and bounds under the watch of head coach Christie Martens. The team has made steady progress in Martens' seven-year tenure, recording its highest finish in a Big 12 Championship (fourth) and qualifying for its first NCAA Regional since 1996 last year.
Martens feels the team's recent success has improved the confidence of each Cyclone.
"How we finished last season and knowing we have had success against Big 12 teams this year will definitely help us," Martens said. "We were only one shot away from finishing third last season and our team knows what it takes to compete at the top."
Without a doubt, Iowa State's strength is its incredible depth. From top to bottom, the Cyclones boast one of the most potent lineups in the nation, as their top-five all average 75.50 strokes or better and have a combined 19 top-10 performances.
Singling out a player is virtually impossible with this group, but two senior stalwarts have been cornerstones in Iowa State's incredible growth in Laurence Herman and Victoria Stefansen. The pair has competed in 117 and 116 rounds, respectively, in their careers and each have 12 career top-10 performances. Herman, who owns a 74.50 stroke average, is rated 87th nationally, while Stefansen, who is averaging 75.36 strokes per round, is the 139th-best player in the nation according to Golfweek.
Three talented underclassmen round out the Cyclone quintet in sophomore Punpaka Phuntumabamrung and freshmen Sasikarn On-iam and Prima Thammaraks. Phuntumabamrung, ranked 116th nationally, owns the top two 18-hole scores in school history (67 & 68) and has a 75.13 stroke average. True freshman On-iam is Iowa State's highest-rated golfer at No. 71. She has a team-low 74.14 stroke average and has never finished worse than 22nd in seven career tournaments. Thammaraks, ranked 111th in the nation, has a 75.07 stroke average and two runner-up medalist finishes this year.
Herman and Phuntumabamrung were both named all-conference after placing in the top-10 at the Big 12 Championships a year ago.
"Every week, somebody different finishes as our top player," Martens added. "It's nice knowing we don't always have to rely on one person and every single person on our team has finished as our No. 1 player in a tournament. We are team that is deep and has a lot of strength throughout the lineup."
This year's championship will be held at The Club at Old Hawthorne with the University of Missouri as the host. Opened in 2007, the course is already considered one of the best in Missouri.
"We have not had the chance to play it yet," Martens said. "It's more of a links style course and we are looking forward to checking it out in our practice rounds."
Iowa State has all but assured its spot in the NCAA Regional for the second-straight season and is hoping to continue its strong play this weekend. Four of the top-five 54-hole team scores in school history have been achieved by the 2010-11 Cyclones and Martens is hoping for more low scores starting on Friday.
"It's a compliment to everything they have accomplished this season and what kind of team we have," Martens noted of Iowa State's ranking. "Everything starts fresh at the Big 12 Championships, however. Every team will have to go out and prove themselves this weekend and we know that anything can happen. "
Follow all of the action this weekend via live scoring at Golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
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Monday, May 12
Monday, May 12
Thursday, April 25
Wednesday, April 24
