2015-16 Nebraska Women's Golf Guide | Page 11

HUSKERS.COM @HUSKERWGOLF #HUSKERS 9 Morgan Smejkal Senior (Three Letters) Columbus, Nebraska (Columbus) OUtlook (2015-16) Morgan Smejkal (pronounced SMAY-kal) plans to provide leadership on and off the course for the Huskers in 2015-16. The fifth-year senior from Columbus, Neb., slashed 2.37 strokes per round from her sophomore season to finish with a 77.04 stroke average as a junior in 2014-15. She hopes for similar improvement to help the Huskers this season. A standout off the course, Smejkal is a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection and a two-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team. She is also the first-ever two-time recipient of the Beatrice Dierks Rohman Memorial Scholarship. “It has been exciting to watch Morgan develop as a player,” Nebraska Coach Robin Krapfl said. “The swing is there, the length is there. The thing that has been holding her back in the past is that she wants it too bad and tries too hard. When she can just relax and play and let things happen, watch out. She can go low.” Honors & Awards Three Career Top-25 Finishes (2 in 2014-15) Tied for 55th at Big Ten Championships (2014) Nebraska Women’s Match Play Champion (2013) Tied for Second at Nebraska Women’s Stroke Play (2012) Academic All-Big Ten (2013, 2014, 2015) Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014; Spring, 2012, 2014, 2015) Beatrice Dierks Rohman Memorial Scholarship (2014, 2015) Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award (2014) Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2014, 2015) Two-Time Nebraska Class A All-State (2009, 2010) Two-Time Nebraska Junior Golf All-Star (2009, 2010) Member of Nebraska Four State Team (2010, 2011) Smejkal’s Career Bests Best Finish.......................... T13th (Rainbow Wahine, 2014) ....................................................T13th (Chip-N Club, 2014) Best Event (Strokes)..................224 (Mountain View, 2015) ...............................................224 (Rainbow Wahine, 2014) Low Round........................ 71 (Rainbow Wahine, 1st, 2014) Low First Round.......................71 (Rainbow Wahine, 2014) Low Second Round........................... 72 (Ron Moore, 2014) Low Third Round.........................72 (Mountain View, 2015) Career Rounds Under Par.................................................. 1 Smejkal’s career Statistics Year Rounds Strokes Average 2012-13 25 2,039 81.56 2013-14 22 1,747 79.41 2014-15 24 1,849 77.04 Totals 71 5,635 79.37 Personal Junior (2014-15) Smejkal provided leadership on and off the course for the young Huskers in 2014-15. She opened her fourth season at NU with a career-best 13th-place finish with a then-career-best 225 (76-76-73) over three rounds at the Chip-N Club Invitational at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course, Sept. 8-9. She closed the fall with another tie for 13th at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, Oct. 22-23. Smejkal’s three-round score of 224 (71-75-78) was a career best and included a career-best one-under-par 71 in the opening round. Her effort in Hawaii followed a tie for 26th with a 230 (82-7276) at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Highlands Ranch, Colo., Oct. 10-12. Smejkal’s second-round 72 was a then-career best. Smejkal, who competed in the Husker lineup in each of NU’s first eight events, finished fourth on the team with a 77.04 stroke average in 2014-15. It represented a 2.37 stroke per round improvement over her sophomore season. However, she did not earn a lineup spot in NU’s regular-season finale at the SMU/ Dallas Athletic Club Invite or the 2015 Big Ten Championships. Smejkal tied for 50th with a 237 (84-78-75) at the Minnesota Invite, Sept. 15-16. Her final-round 75 was NU’s best round of the day. She added a tie for 71st with a 239 (76-77-86) at the GolfWeek Conference Challenge in Vail, Colo., Sept. 22-24. Smejkal opened the spring by tying for 67th (74-80-74-228) at the Westbrook Invite in Peoria, Ariz., Feb. 22-23. She added a tie for 68th (80-78-84-242) at the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz., March 13-15. She tied her season and career best with a 224 (77-75-72) to tie for 55th at the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz., March 20-21. Sophomore (2013-14) Low 76 74 71 71 The daughter of Joel and Andrea Smejkal, Morgan was born Dec. 7, 1992, in Columbus, Neb. She has a younger brother, Parker. Morgan is a marketing and management major. She is a three-time (2013, 2014, 2015) academic All-Big Ten selection. She has also claimed seven spots on the Nebraska ScholarAthlete Honor Roll. In addition to her success in the classroom, Smejkal has been a standout in the community, earning a prestigious Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award in 2014. She was a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2014 and 2015. She is also the first-ever two-time recipient of the Beatrice Dierks Rohman Memorial Scholarship. Smejkal chose Nebraska over Wichita State, South Dakota State, Creighton, Miami and South Dakota. Smejkal finished with a 79.41 stroke average, which marked a 2.15 stroke per round improvement over 2012-13. She opened 2013-14 in NU’s lineup at the Chip-N Club Invite, tying for 61st with a 251 (85-83-83), as the Huskers won the team title. Smejkal earned a second lineup