Milton Native Stair Named to UW-Whitewater Golf Roster

2015 Sep 3

Stephanie Stair, a native of Milton, WI, and graduate of Milton High School, will compete for the 2015-16 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater golf team a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III.

Stair, a junior for the Warhawks, is majoring in social work.

UW-Whitewater begins play this Friday and Saturday at the Carthage Tournament on the Border at Bristol Oaks Country Club in Bristol, Wis.

See below for a season preview of the 2015 team.

2015 UW-Whitewater Golf Preview: Warhawks Look to Compete for WIAC Title

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will employ a combination of experienced veterans and talented youth to try and compete for a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in 2015.

Brett Weber, who returns for his 15th season at the helm of the program, hopes to help the Warhawks improve on their fourth-place finish in 2014. UW-Whitewater recorded its 10th straight finish in the top four a year ago.

Weber said this season's team is young and raw, yet talented and passionate about the game.

"Our players come from solid backgrounds, so I'm excited about their well-being as people," Weber said. "They're willing to change already and try new things.

"Three of our five freshmen were all-state at some point during their high school career, so I'm excited about the crop of freshmen we have."

The team recently finished qualifying in advance of this weekend's season-opening Carthage Tournament on the Border on Friday and Saturday at Bristol Oaks Country Club.

The Warhawks finished second at the same tournament a year ago.

"We've always played very well down there," Weber said. "I think we've finished second or third every year we've been down there. We'll be facing a top 10 team in Carthage, so that's a good barometer for us."

UW-Whitewater's schedule is subject to change in the two weeks following the season-opening tournament. The team will host the UW-Whitewater Fall Classic on Sept. 25-26 at Delbrook Golf Club in Delavan.

The Warhawks will travel to Stevens Point Country Club Oct. 3-4 before competing in the 54-hole WIAC Championship on Oct. 9-11 at Lake Arrowhead Golf Club in Nekoosa with an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament on the line.

"For us, it's not so much about wins and losses, and trying to win right away, but it's about trying to appreciate the process, trying to get better from one shot, or one hole, to the next and learning from mistakes," Weber said.

Senior Taylor Genter, juniors Kayla Asleson and Stephanie Stair will serve as captains for the 2015-16 campaign.

Genter, the team's lone senior, averaged 92.4 strokes per 18-hole round last season. She carded a career-best score of 80 in the first round of the 2015 UW-Whitewater Spring Fling.

Asleson and Stair are the team's top two returners in terms of scoring average.

Stair averaged an 85.8 in her first year as a Warhawk after transferring from Ashford (Iowa) University. She placed among the top 15 five times, including a tie for fifth with a career-best 159 (78-81) at the Carthage Tournament on the Border. Stair was also a Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar.

Asleson recorded a pair of top 15 finishes in 2014-15. She averaged 88.8 strokes per round and carded a season-best 79 in the second round of the UW-Whitewater Fall Classic.

Hannah Taylor rounds out the junior class. She averaged a 93.7 and tallied a career-low 81 in the first round of the 2014 Carthage Tournament on the Border.

Callie Edwards, Jess Gruber, Hayley Jefferson and Katie Melanouris form the team's sophomore class. Gruber led the quartet with a 95.4 scoring average, matching a career low with an 84 in the first round of the Augustana Invitational last spring. Edwards (96.0 avg.), Jefferson (99.8) and Melanouris (121.3) also look to compete for spots in the line-up.

Freshmen: Breanna Bertschinger; Kaitlin Bowe; Sarah Detig; Rebekah Donner; Sabrina Schreck

For more information on UW-Whitewater golf, visit the team's Web page.