In 2020-21, Menzel led the Hawkeyes to a team title at the UNI Invitational and to three top four finishes, including runner-up showings at the BYU Spring Classic and Chattanooga Classic. Iowa, who finished 10th at the Big Ten Championships, posted three of the top 10 rounds in school history (including the second and third-best scores) and Lea Zeitler shot a school-record round of 66 at the Rebel Beach Invitational. Freshman Klara Wildhaber led the team with a 73.9 scoring average -- the sixth-best single-season average in school history.
The Hawkeyes had three student-athletes garner WGCA All-American Scholar honors and eight student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Ten.
During the 2019-20 season, Menzel finished her ninth season as Iowa head coach. She led freshman Lea Zeitler to two Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors -- the first Hawkeye to earn a Big Ten weekly honor since Shawn Rennegarbe in 2018. Before the 2020 Spring season was canceled due the COVID-19 pandemic, Menzel guided three Hawkeyes to top-20 finishes, including Zeitler’s four, freshman Jacquelyn Galloway’s two, and one from freshman Morgan Goldstein.
During her eighth season (2018-19), Menzel coached Iowa to a team title at the Diane Thomason Invitational, their first title since the 2015-16 season when they won the Diane Thomason Invitational. She helped six different Hawkeyes earn top-20 finishes. Freshman Manuela Lizarazu led the team with three, while seniors Shawn Rennegarbe and Kristin Glesne, freshman Dana Lerner, and sophomore Brett Permann and Stephanie Herzog each registered one.
In her seventh season at the helm (2017-18), Menzel guided four different Hawkeyes to nine top-30 finishes. Senior Jessica Ip led the team with four, while junior Kristin Glense and freshman Rachel Fujitani added two, and junior Shawn Rennegarbe registered one. The Hawkeyes faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In 10 tournaments, Iowa faced 22 top-25 opponents.
In her sixth season (2016-17), the Hawkeyes recorded a team scoring average of 76.0 to mark the second-lowest team average in school history. At the Westbrook Spring Invitational, the team posted top-5 marks for 18-holes, 36-holes, and 54-holes with scores of 287, 586, and 873. Junior Jessica Ip registered the second-lowest 18-hole score in school history with two rounds of 68, and recorded the sixth-lowest stroke average during the spring season with a 74.2 average. Freshman Sophie Liu recorded the eighth-lowest stroke average with a 74.8 during the fall slate.
During her fifth season at Iowa (2015-16), the women’s golf team had one of their best seasons in Hawkeye history. At the Johnie Imes Invitational, the team set records for best team performance for 18-holes, 36-holes and 54-holes with scores of 282, 571 and 864. During the spring slate, the Hawkeyes registered the lowest scoring average in team history (73.9).
Menzel led senior Amy Ihm to one of the best seasons in Hawkeye history. At the Big Ten Championships, Ihm the record for best individual performance for 54-holes with a score of 211. Ihm was named a second team All-Big Ten selection, the recipient of Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, and a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week. The Peosta, Iowa, native set records for individual 54-hole performance (-5; 211), individual 36-hole performance (-6; 138), and individual 18-hole performance (-4; 68). In her senior campaign, Amy registered a 73.1 stroke average — the lowest season average in program history by 3.2 strokes.
Ihm concluded her record-breaking Hawkeye career in NCAA Regional competition. She earned a bid to the NCAA Bryan Regional where she became the first UI women’s golfer to compete in NCAA postseason competition since Stacey Arnold in 1990 and the second individual qualifier in program history. Ihm finished the regional with a three-round total of 231 (+15; 79, 75, 77) to tie for 69th overall.
In her fourth year (2014-15), Menzel led five different Hawkeyes to 11 top-20 individual finishes. Sophomore Jessie Sindlinger and freshman Jessica Ip each registered three top-20 finishes, while freshman Elisa Suarez and junior Amy Ihm each had two and senior Shelby Phillips registered one. Three Hawkeyes registered stroke averages below 77, including Suarez (76.4), Sindlinger (76.5), and Ihm (76.7).
Menzel’s third year in Iowa City (2013-14) was highlighted by a record-breaking performance in the spring opener, as Iowa fired an 877 (+13) to establish a new 54-hole school record at the Westbrook Invitational on Feb. 23-24. The Hawkeyes’ 36-hole score of 585 was good for third overall in Iowa history, and their 18-hole score of 291 tied for fifth. Off the course, Briana Midkiff and Nicole Rae garnered Academic All-Big Ten honors.
During her second campaign (2012-13), the Hawkeyes registered six individual top-10 finishes, highlighted by Lauren English’s eighth place finish at the Challenge at Onion Creek, which earned her Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors. Off the course, two Hawkeyes — Gigi DiGrazia and Briana Midkiff — were named Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars. Student-athletes must carry a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 to be selected to the All-American Scholar Team. DiGrazia earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and was also honored by the Big Ten Conference with the Distinguished Scholar Award — the Distinguished Scholar Award is presented to student-athletes who have earned a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year.
In her first season as the head coach of the UI women’s golf program (2011-12), Menzel`s squad improved, both on the course and off the course. The Hawkeyes recorded top-five finishes in five out of 11 tournaments, including a first place finish at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic. Additionally, Menzel’s team had seven individual top-10 finishes, highlighted by two runner-up finishes by Chelsea Harris and Kristi Cardwell. In the classroom, Gigi Digrazia earned Academic All-Big Ten Honors.
