Storylines For 2009 USGA Women's State Team Championship

Youngest player in the field: Kacie Komoto, 14, of Hawaii

Oldest player in the field: Jean Smith, 68, of Idaho. Smith won the 1995 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur.

Here are some other individual storylines for the championship (listed by state):

ALABAMA

Kathy Hartwiger, 43, of Birmingham won the 2002 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and helped Alabama win the 1997 USGA Women’s State Team Championship. Her husband, Chris, is a regional agronomist for the USGA’s Green Section. One of her most memorable golf highlights is registering a hole-in-one while 8½ months pregnant with her daughter Erin, now 10.

Martha Lang, 56, of Birmingham has competed in all eight USGA Women’s State Team Championships and won the 1988 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. She also was a member of the 1992 USA Curtis Cup team and captained the 1996 squad. She also is the vice chairman of the USGA Women’s Committee.

ALASKA

Jamie Berge, 52, of Anchorage is in the Lake Superior State University Hall of Fame for basketball. She is a self-employed income tax specialist.

ARIZONA

Barbara Byrnes, 54, of Mesawill celebrate her 55th birthday on the second day of this year’s Women’s State Team Championship. She serves as the treasurer for the Arizona Women’s Golf Association, which has 25,000 members and is the second largest women’s golf association in the country.

Thuhashini Selvaratnam, 33, of Tempe helped Arizona win the 2007 Women’s State Team Championship and was the runner-up at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. She is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest (12 years old) to win a national golf championship (Sri Lanka Amateur).

Lynn Simmons, 41, of Phoenix was the runner-up at last year’s U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. She works as a fitness trainer and club fitter.

ARKANSAS

Tracy Duncan, 44, of Blytheville once made a hole-in-one with a teammate on the same hole during a scramble tournament.

CALIFORNIA

Kathy Kurata, 48, of Pasadena is a professional Japanese classical dancer. She started dancing at 4 and picked up golf two years later.

COLORADO

Kim Eaton, 50, of Greeley has won 11 gold medals in the World Police/Fire Olympics in golf. She currently is the executive director of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame (inducted in 2006).

Rachel Larson, 22, has climbed four 14,000-foot mountains in Colorado, and she completed a half-marathon (13 miles) in June.

Janet Moore, 45, of Greenwood Village was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2001 and has claimed five Colorado stroke-play titles.

CONNECTICUT

Daria Cummings, 33, of Monroe registered a hole-in-one on the Red Course at Bethpage State Park en route to winning the 2008 Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association Public Links title.

The husband of Lisa Fern-Boros, 48, of Shelton, is the nephew of two-time U.S. Open champion Julius Boros.

DELAWARE

Sandra DiBiase, 50, of Hockessin worked as a hair stylist for 30 years before selling her salon 12 years ago and picking up golf. This is her first USGA championship.

FLORIDA

Wendi Golden, 34, of Bradenton played professionally from 1996-99 and was a club pro from 1999-2001 before regaining her amateur status in 2005. She went to South Africa in 2001 as a missionary and has been a stay-at-home mom since 2002. She currently is a high school girls’ golf coach.

Meghan Stasi, 31, of Oakland Park claimed the 2006 and 2007 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur titles and represented the USA on the victorious 2008 Curtis Cup team. She also served as the head women’s golf coach at the University of Mississippi from 2003-2007. She was the youngest coach in Division I (23) at the time of her hiring. One of the players she recruited (Georgia’s Dori Carter) is competing at this week’s Women’s State Team Championship.

GEORGIA

Laura Coble, 45, of Augusta helped Georgia win the 2005 USGA Women’s State Team Championship and also served as the Augusta State women’s golf coach (2006-07). Twice she has been the recipient of the Tommy Barnes Award, which is given to the best overall amateur player – male or female – in the state of Georgia.

Mariah Stackhouse, 15, of Riverdale is the only female golfer in Georgia history to win the Girls and Women’s Player of the Year awards.

HAWAII

Cyd Okino, 15, of Honolulu won the 2008 Hawaii State Women’s Open.

IDAHO

Karen Darrington, 51, of Boise played basketball at Idaho State, but after her first season, some friends on the golf team taught her to play the game and a few weeks later she qualified for the women’s golf team. She currently works as a dental hygienist.

Jean Smith, age, of Eagle won the 1995 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and has won her state amateur title seven times. She is playing in her sixth USGA Women’s State Team Championship.

ILLINOIS

When DeAnne Stolarik, 43, of Zion graduated from a conservatory of music, she had to play a 48-page piano concerto by memory for the performance finale.

INDIANA

Kristi Piepenbrink, 23, of Greenwood will be getting married next month. She won the Indiana Women’s Open in 2008.

Nina Whalen, 53, of Indianapolis recorded two holes-in-one on the same hole at the same golf course in Mesa, Ariz., two days apart.

IOWA

Jenny Graeser, 27, of Cedar Falls is competing this week only a week after having a kidney stone removed. She serves as the campaign director for the Cedar Valley United Way.

KANSAS

Gail Burden, 52, of Winfield hiked Machu Picchu, a pre-Columbian Inca site located 8,000 feet above sea level in Peru, in June.

Kristy Rein, 29, of Great Bend shares the same birthday as her 26-year-old brother Darren (March 29).

KENTUCKY

Sami Montgomery Wilson, 31, of Paris owns two certified therapy dogs (Pepper and Sadie), who visit hospitals, nursing homes and schools. She also started the first girls’ golf program for the local high school, where she works as a special education teacher.

MAINE

Barbara Rondeau, 60, of Bailey Island is a former tennis pro who took up golf to keep a 70-year-old friend company after her husband died and soon fell in love with the game.

MARYLAND

Kaitlyn Rohrback, 17, of Crofton ran a benefit junior girls golf tournament in 2006 in memory of her mom, who died of pancreatic cancer. Proceeds went to the Johns Hopkins Pancreatic Research Fund.

Lisa Schlesinger, 51, of Laytonsville ran a benefit golf tournament in 2007 for her brother who collapsed in his home and suffered a paralyzing spinal-cord injury (ruptured disk). The event grossed more than $90,000. In 2005, she won the Chrysler Club Championship at Innisbrook in Florida, which qualified her for a pro-am spot in the 2006 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

MASSACHUSETTS

Tara Joy-Connelly, 36, of Pembroke won the 2009 Massachusetts Women’s State Open. She is a six-time state player of the year.

MICHIGAN

Theresa Delcamp, 47, of Grand Blanc is a three-time national paddle-ball champion.

Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, 37, of Haslett is the head women’s golf coach at Michigan State University.

MINNESOTA

Leigh Klasse, 49, of St. Anthony helped Minnesota win the 2001 Women’s State Team Championship.

Claudia Pilot, 52, of Austin also was on the victorious 2001 Minnesota Women’s State Team and posted the low individual score. She was a semifinalist at last year’s USGA Women’s Senior Amateur.

MISSISSIPPI

Cissye Gallagher, 42, of Greenwood is married to 1993 U.S. Ryder Cup player Jim Gallagher Jr., who is serving as her caddie this week.

Virginia Derby Grimes, 45, of Meridian won the 1998 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and is a three-time USA Curtis Cup team member. She also helped Alabama win the 1997 Women’s State Team title. She was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Alexis Rather, 24, of Oxford is currently the assistant women’s golf coach at the University of Mississippi.

MISSOURI

Mary Ann Beattie, 62, of Chesterfield and Kathy Glennon, 43, of St. Albans each play out of the Country Club of St. Albans, which will host the 2009 USGA Men’s State Championship Sept. 23-25. Beattie is a former professional tennis player.

Ginny Orthwein, 58, of St. Louis registered a hole-in-one on her wedding anniversary while with her husband, who does not play golf. As a community volunteer, she is the head of two school boards.

MONTANA

Sable Hamilton, 23, of Colstrip claims to be the only Native American golfer to have ever played for her hometown high school team in Colstrip and for Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont.

NEBRASKA

Susan Marchese, 48, of Omaha is one of three golfers to have participated in all eight USGA Women’s State Team Championships.

Jane Pohlman, 52, of Omaha lists her occupation as a professional volunteer.

Anne Robertson, 41, of Columbus is a history teacher and girls’ golf coach at Columbus High, where she graduated in 1986. She also has been on the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship Committee since 2006 and has worked those championships as a Rules official.

NEVADA

Christy Atencio, 42, of Reno has a very interesting maiden name for a golfer: Toogood. At the 1984 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Mill Creek C.C. in Bothell, Wash., she registered a hole-in-one.

Christina Monteiro, 30, of Las Vegas has been given the nickname of Dirt Diva because she is an estimator/project manager for a concrete cutting and demolition company. She also was a member of the University of Arizona golf team that won the 2000 NCAA Division I national championship.

NEW JERSEY

Susan DeKalb, 53, of Middletown was a women’s college basketball coach for 20 years at Oklahoma, Miami of Ohio and Monmouth (N.J.) University.

Adrienne MacLean, 44, of Verona is the wife of former NHL player John MacLean, who played for the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks. He currently is the head coach of the AHL Lowell (Mass.) Devils.Both of the couple’s boys play ice hockey.

NEW MEXICO

Lara Davis, 38, of Albuquerque had the unique experience of being penalized for having 15 clubs in the bag. The person who levied the penalty was her husband, Dennis, and even more bizarre was the fact the extra club was his driver that he put in her bag the day before the tournament. The two spent their  10th anniversary at Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon.

NEW YORK

Teresa Cleland, 50, of Syracuse has putted side-saddle since taking up the game 24 years ago. She currently is a teacher in the Syracuse City School District.

Rene Sobolewski, 17, of Buffalo, loves to unicycle.

Christy Schultz, 29, of Rochester married a college hockey coach despite “knowing nothing about hockey. I have had to learn quickly.” Shelists winning the 1996 New York State Junior Girls Championship while her dying father (cancer) watched as her most memorable golf moment.

NORTH CAROLINA

Patty Moore, 59, of Charlotte was inducted this year into the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame.

Maggie Weder, 51, of Greenville took up golf 12 years ago after doctors diagnosed her with Multiple Sclerosis. She is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer.

OHIO

Frederique Bruell, 21, of Shaker Heights won the 2008 Ohio Women's Amateur in 37 holes by winning three consecutive holes at the end.

OKLAHOMA

The brother of Patty Cortney, 49, of Stillwater is the head coach (Mike McGraw) of the nationally ranked Oklahoma State men’s golf team, which has three golfers on the 2009 USA Walker Cup Team.

LeeAnn Fairlie, 46, of Oklahoma City is a five-time Oklahoma State Women’s Amateur champion.

Janet Miller, 47, of Catoosa is a police officer for the city of Tulsa.

OREGON

Lara Tennant, 42, of Portland was the oldest player at age 39 to make the cut to match play at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur when it was held at Pumpkin Ridge. The stay-at-home mother of five, is a member of the Oregon Golf Association Executive Committee and has served as co-chair of Oregon Junior Golf for several years and once served as the women's golf coach at the University of Oregon.

Charisse Spada, 48, of Portland is a past president of the Oregon Golf Association and presently serves on the OGA Executive Committee.

PENNSYLVANIA

Noreen Mohler, 55, of Bethlehem played on the 1978 USA Curtis Cup Team and will captain the squad for the 2010 Match.

Carol Semple Thompson, 60, of Sewickley is a seven-time USGA champion who also helped Pennsylvania win the inaugural Women’s State Team Championship in 1995. She is one of three players to have competed in all eight Women’s State Team Championships. She also is a 12-time USA Curtis Cup team member and has captained two squads to victory (2006 and 2008).

RHODE ISLAND

Anne Corio, 48, of Johnson works as a flight attendant for United Airlines. She was born in Singapore.

Debbie Cyronak, 48, of Warwick is a two-time breast cancer survivor.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Kelli Endahl, 29, of Sioux Falls is a graduate assistant coach for the University of South Dakota women’s golf team. She also is a program director for The First Tee of South Dakota.

Julie Jansa, 36, of Sioux Falls and her husband, Ryan, were the first husband/wife tandem to play in the State Team Championships in 2005. Both have qualified three times for this event. Julie is the executive director of The First Tee of South Dakota and the junior golf director of the South Dakota Golf Association.

TEXAS

Carolyn Creekmore, 57, of Dallas won the 2004 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and her boyfriend, Donnie Anderson, played on the first two victorious Green Bay Packer Super Bowl teams as a running back. Her grandfather was the first quarterback at Arkansas to lead the Razorbacks to an undefeated season.

Mina Hardin, 48, of Fort Worth was the first player from Mexico to play on the LPGA Tour, but later regained her amateur status. She was the 2001 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur runner-up.

Anna Schultz, 54, of Rockwall won the 2007 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur and was the runner-up at the 2000 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and 2006 Senior Women’s Amateur.

WASHINGTON

Catherine Allen, 49, of Bellingham has twice traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress against the Streamlined Tax Initiative. She runs a small online retail business to help support her golf habit.

Anne Carr, 65, of Renton has worked a variety of jobs: computer programmer, Web site developer, real estate agent, horseback riding teacher, manager of an art gallery, day trader and worked at RCA, Lockheed, Martin-Marietta and Boeing. She was the runner-up at the 2001 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur.

WISCONSIN

Rheba Mabie, 32, of Boulder Junction is a science/agriculture teacher at Wausau West High School who also is a professional clown. She also is a national Multiple Sclerosis patient advocate who helps others cope with the ailment.

Storylines compiled by USGA Digital Media staff writer David Shefter.