June 3, 2015
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s basketball team shared a fun day at Finkbine Golf Course with Hawkeye supporters and fans as a part of its annual Golf Extravaganza Tuesday afternoon.
There was a great turn out this year, and the Iowa staff and players enjoyed spending time with all the participants.
“It’s great,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “People come back every year because it’s such a fun event to be a part of. Our team is here, everyone gets the opportunity to meet the players, we’ve been fortunate to have good weather, and Finkbine is a beautiful course. Avid golfers and even the average golfers love it.”
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The Hawkeyes mingled with each foursome at different holes on the course, encouraging them in their golf games, judging contests, and thanking them for their continued support of the program. Participants also enjoyed lunch and dinner with Iowa women’s basketball staff and players.
“It’s a lot of fun to be out here,” senior-to-be Claire Till said. “The weather has been great, and we love being able to see people golf and maybe get a few swings in ourselves. It’s fun to interact with our fans. We have the best fans in the nation, so we love to spend time with them.”
“It’s really great to see all the support, and we appreciate it more than they know,” junior-to-be Alexa Kastanek said. “It’s awesome to see how many people truly care about us and it shows that our Hawkeye crowd is really a family. It’s nice we can laugh and have fun with them on the course, kick back, and have a fun day.”
Those in attendance had a great time celebrating the program’s latest successes on the court, including its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1996, interacting with the Hawkeyes, and having some fun competition on the course.
“I’ve done this a couple years now. It’s a good time and a good cause,” former Iowa men’s basketball coach Tom Davis said. “Especially this year, I wanted to pay tribute to Lisa, her staff, and the basketball program. What a great year they had.”
“I couldn’t be happier to hang out with these incredible young women,” celebrity golfer Tiffany O’Donnell said. “I’m the mother of two young women who happen to play basketball. Even if they didn’t play basketball, I couldn’t imagine a better group of young women for them to emulate and see in action. These are smart, disciplined, and driven women. They are incredible role models for young women, whether they know it or not. They are a pleasure to be around.”
Proceeds from the event fund the program’s foreign trip every four years. The next trip, scheduled for this August, has the Hawkeyes traveling to Italy.
“(The Golf Extravaganza) is a big part of funding our foreign trip,” Till said. “This August we get the opportunity to go to Italy, which we’re all looking forward to. It couldn’t happen without events like this. It’s going to be really memorable, and we can’t wait to head over there.”
The last two overseas trips saw the Hawkeyes visit Greece in 2007 and Prague, Austria, Slovakia, and France in 2011.
