Following a summer on the national stage, the first-year wants to earn some hardware on the college circuit.
As Iowa women’s golf kicked off fall practices on Monday, the Hawkeyes welcomed four new freshmen to the 2022-23 squad. Among them is Iowa state champion Shannyn Vogler, who hails from Moline, Illinois.
Vogler attended Rivermont Collegiate High School in Bettendorf, but the private school did not offer golf. So, she joined the Bettendorf High School’s girls golf team. Vogler was a two-time first-team All-State member at Bettendorf, winning the Class 4A state championship as a junior. She has also posted three AJGA top-three finishes.
Over the summer, Vogler was among one of 156 amateurs to compete in the US Girls’ Junior Championship at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky, from July 18-23.
“I think her whole summer was very exciting,” head coach Megan Menzel told The Daily Iowan. “You have to go through all the qualifiers to get to those places, and so I think it’s just a great experience for her to play across the country and play with the best of the best.”
During her final qualifying match at Blackhawk Country Club in Madison, Wisconsin, Vogler shot a two-over-par 74 and secured the final spot by chipping in a shot during a four-hole playoff.
“It was really exciting because I qualified by chipping in to get into the tournament, and the competition was definitely really strong,” Vogler said. “You know, my putting wasn’t really there all week but I did a lot of things well, and just the opportunity to play there was an awesome experience.”
Vogler shot 9-over-par through two rounds and didn’t make the cut in the amateur championship.
Despite missing the cut, the incoming freshman has high expectations for herself with her eyes set on hardware in 2022-23.
“I’d say I’d love to get a win this year, and just get better,” Vogler said. “You know, my putting has been struggling so work on that during practice and my short game overall. If that gets better then my scores will go down.”
Vogler is hoping to be the spark the Iowa women’s golf needs. The Hawkeyes struggled in the 2022 spring season and finished last at the Big Ten Championships in Pittsburgh.
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Iowa’s coaching staff has noticed Vogler’s drive as she begins practice this fall, and Menzel believes she’ll make an impact on the program.
“I think she has come in, and really has felt like she wanted to make an immediate impact here in Iowa,” Menzel said. She’s a very steady practitioner, very focused, and we just feel like she is going to really add a lot to the program.”
The Hawkeyes will kick off the first of four fall events in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Dick McGuire Invitational on Sept. 12.
Iowa will then travel to Verona, Wisconsin, to compete in the Badger Invitational on Sept. 18 before traveling to Highlands Ranch, Colorado, for the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate on Oct. 7.
The Hawkeyes will conclude the fall schedule by traveling to Lawrence, Kansas, for the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational on Oct. 17.