The Nebraska women hope to play their best golf of the season when the Huskers take aim at the Big Ten Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh (April 22-24).

The Big Red head to Pennsylvania as the eighth-highest ranked team in the 14-team field in the GolfStat national rankings. The Huskers entered the week at No. 69 after a fifth-place finish at the 10-team Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational (April 15-16) in Columbus, Ohio.

The hosts from Ohio State won the team title on their home course, defeating Big Ten foes Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Maryland, Penn State and Rutgers. Despite tough scoring conditions on the Scarlet Course, five Huskers earned top-25 finishes led by Vanessa Bouvet's tie for ninth. Megan Whittaker added a tie for 23rd for her seventh straight top-25 finish, while Kirsten Baete, Michaela Vavrova and Nicole Hansen all tied for 25th.

Nebraska's six-count-four lineup, which also includes freshman Miu Takahashi, will participate in a practice round on Thursday at Fox Chapel, before tackling the 6,045-yard, par-71 layout in Friday's first round. The 14-team tournament begins with tee times for single rounds on Friday and Saturday beginning at 7:30 a.m. (CT), before the final round begins with tee times at 7 a.m. (CT). Live scoring for the Big Ten Tournament will be provided by GolfStat.com.

Michigan enters the tournament as the favorite. The Wolverines rank No. 18 nationally after tying Nebraska and Maryland for second behind 2021 champion Michigan State at last year's tournament. Illinois is No. 23, while the Spartans (34th), Northwestern (35th) and Purdue (46th) all rank among the top 50 teams in the country, according to GolfStat.

Big Ten Championship
April 22-24, 2022
Pittsburgh, Pa. (Fox Chapel Golf Club)
Par 71, 6,045 Yards

Schedule
Friday, April 22 (First Round) - 7:30 a.m. (CT) - Tee Times
Saturday, April 23 (Second Round) - 7:30 a.m. (CT) - Tee Times
Sunday, April 24 (Third Round) - 7:00 a.m. (CT) - Tee Times

Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

Participating Teams (14)
(18) Michigan
(23) Illinois
(34) Michigan State
(35) Northwestern
(46) Purdue
(59) Ohio State
(63) Maryland
(69) Nebraska
(93) Penn State
(94) Wisconsin
(101) Minnesota
(117) Rutgers
(133) Iowa
(148) Indiana

Nebraska Lineup (6-count-4)
1. Kirsten Baete
2. Megan Whittaker
3. Vanessa Bouvet
4. Michaela Vavrova
5. Miu Takahashi
6. Nicole Hansen

Bredwell Earns Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors

Ava Bredwell was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week Monday following a big week in the Huskers' perfect 5-0 week over Iowa and Minnesota. 

A Shawnee, Kan., native, Bredwell produced at least one hit in each of the five games and multiple hits in three contests. She finished the week 9-for-14 (.643) with one triple, six RBIs and six runs scored, averaging more than one hit, one RBI and one run per game. 

In game one of the doubleheader against Iowa, Bredwell went 2-for-3 with a career-high five RBIs. In game two, Bredwell added two more hits, finishing the doubleheader 4-for-5. 

In the weekend sweep of Minnesota, Bredwell finished 5-for-9. In game one, Bredwell had one hit and one run. In game two, Bredwell finished 1-for-2 with one RBI and one run. The freshman finished the weekend going 3-for-4 in the finale, scoring twice. 

Bredwell is batting .366 on the season (26-for-71) with 15 RBIs, 23 runs, two doubles, two triples and two home runs. The freshman has made 29 starts for the Big Red this year, and the Huskers are 26-3 in her 29 starts.

This is Bredwell's first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award. The last Husker to be named Big Ten Freshman of the week was Billie Andrews on May 4, 2021. 

Northwestern's Rachel Lewis claimed Big Ten Player of the Week honors while Illinois' Sydney Sickels was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. 

Banton Makes NBA Playoff Debut

Lincoln -- Former Husker Dalano Banton became the eighth former Nebraska men's basketball player to make an appearance in the NBA Playoffs on Saturday, as he played in Toronto's Game 1 loss to Philadelphia. Banton had a point and an assist in three minutes of work for the Raptors.

He is the first Husker to appear in an NBA Playoff Game since Mikki Moore (Boston) and Tyronn Lue (Orlando) in 2009.  Other Huskers who have appeared in NBA Playoff games include Stu Lantz (1969, San Diego; 1974, Detroit), Eric Johnson (1990, Utah), Dave Hoppen (1991, Philadelphia), Eric Piatkowski (1996, Los Angeles Clippers; 2004 Houston; 2005-06, Chicago, 2007-08, Phoenix), Erick Strickland (2002, Boston; 2003, Indiana, 2004 Milwaukee), Moore (2000, Detroit; 2007, New Jersey; 2008, Boston) and Lue (1999, 2001, Los Angeles Lakers; 2008, Dallas; 2009 Orlando).

Lue has also coached in four playoffs, leading Cleveland to an NBA title in 2016 and NBA Finals appearances in 2017 and 2018 before taking the Los Angeles Clippers to the Western Conference Finals in 2021.

Banton, a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has been a valuable member off the bench for the Raptors, who captured the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 48-34 record. Banton played in 64 regular-season games, averaging 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Toronto continues the series with Philadelphia Monday night at 7 p.m. (central) on TNT.