WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University women's golf coach Dan Messmann isn't clairvoyant, but after his team traveled to Northfield, Minn., for a practice round on the prestigious Willinger's Golf Club last Tuesday, he knew there was one big obstacle standing in the Cardinals' way at the season-ending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.

And that one obstacle wasn't how his Cardinals would handle the pressure of playing on the conference's biggest stage — but rather how the Cardinals would handle the pressure of playing the toughest course they'd play on all season.

Messmann's worries proved to be right on the money, as SMU struggled on the 5,818-yard, par-73 course, managing just one round in the 80s — and seven in the 90s — en route to a seventh-place finish.

"(Willinger's) is a tough, tough course, and it showed its teeth this weekend," said Messmann, noting that only one player — St. Benedict's Kaley Kosak — shot a round in the 70s (a first-round 77). "I knew going in that the weekend was going to be as much a mental battle as a physical one.

"It wasn't that we played that poorly, it was just that the course played that tough."

Andrea Hanke (Janesville, Wis.) missed a second-straight All-MIAC honor by one stroke, shooting rounds of 85-91 for a 176 total and a 12th-place individual finish. Ashley Fosmo (Plainview, Minn.) chipped in a 95-93—188 effort, while Kristi Pugal (Brookfield, Wis. / 99-100—199) and Katie O'Connor (Orland Park, Ill. / 104-95—199) rounded out the Cardinals' top five.

"Overall, I'm very happy with the way the season went," said Messmann. "We had a lot of individuals turn in personal-best scores, we set a lot of school records, and really played pretty well all fall."