May 3, 1998

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Freshman Kasey Gant (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was named the Big Ten Womenis Golf Freshman of the Year after her 75 in the final round of the Big Ten Womenis Golf Championship put her in a tie for seventh place in the tournament. Gant, who was also named to the All-Big Ten team, finished with a 72-77-78-75=302, just three strokes behind Indianais Erin Carney and Iowais Stacey Bergman (299).

Gant led Michigan State to a ninth-place team finish at 312-309-316-316=1253. The Spartans were just six strokes behind seventh-place Minnesota (1247).

The Freshman of the Year award was a year-long goal for Gant, who wraps up a spectacular freshman campaign with her seventh-place Big Ten finish. She is the first Spartan to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in the 11 years the award has been presented.

Gant won two tournaments as a rookie, including her first career tournament in the Mary Fossum Invitational. She finished with a 77.5 stroke average, the third-best season stroke average in Spartan history.

The Big Ten Championship closes out Michigan Stateis season as well as Gantis who was passed over in the NCAA Regional selections last weekend.

TEAM STANDINGS                                 MSU INDIVIDUALS
 1. Indiana            307-292-297-300=1196     T7. Kasey Gant  72-77-78-75=302
 2. Ohio State         298-307-303-301=1209    T40. Kellie Dennis  81-78-78-80=317
 3. Purdue             312-298-304-306=1220    T43. Ellen Bishop   81-76-81-82=320
    Northwestern       309-305-305-301=1220    T46. Meggan Schumaker   78-78-86-79=321
 5. Penn State         308-303-305-306=1222    T56. Tricia Gregory 83-83-79-87=332
 6. Iowa               305-312-304-306=1227     59. April Holly 83-86-82-83=334
 7. Minnesota          308-315-309-315=1247
 8. Wisconsin          309-311-317-311=1248
 9. Michigan State     312-309-316-316=1253
10. Illinois           319-318-315-318=1270
11. Michigan           316-328-317-320=1281