As the Midwest sets its sights on the spring thaw, NIU women’s golf coach Pam Tyska and her players head south to tee it up in the warmth of Florida.

The Huskies will look for low scores at the NIU Snowbird Intercollegiate Tournament March 13-14, a tournament they have won before. Springlake Golf Course in Sebring, Fla. will be the host club for the tourney.

Heading into the spring season, NIU has the honor of being ranked No. 1 in the state of Illinois. With the likes of Sharon Humphrey, Nicole Jeray, Jenny Mellinger, Mishelle Reed and Laura Scheiback, the Huskies dominate the state’s Top 10 individual list. The other integral part of the Huskie line-up is senior Sue Groves, who rounds out the six-player lineup.

Jeray, a native of Berwyn, Ill., stands as the No. 1 freshman in the state, and is ranked third in the Midwest’s freshman class. However, Jeray has never played the Springlake course.

As a team, NIU finds itself ranked sixth in the Midwest among 46 schools and is thirstier than ever this year to post some winning scores.

“The success we turned on in the fall is sure to make our spring season very exciting,” Tyska said. “Every player has set very challenging goals for the spring that when achieved, will definitely showcase us as a championship team.

“Last fall, four of our top five players posted their lowest career scores. Our Huskie squad has worked out very diligently during the offseason and is more than ready to be unleashed in the warmth of Florida.”

Teams competing for the “Snowbird” crown are Illinois State, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Southern Illinois, Wichita State and NIU.

Because weather has not permitted outdoor play, NIU has been training indoors for the tournament by hitting balls into nets. However, the Huskies should not be at too much of a disadvantage. The other teams in the tourney haven’t been able to see too much outdoor time either.

Following the Snowbird Tourney, NIU will come back to DeKalb and prepare for its next tournament at Indiana University on April 8th and 9th.