MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois women's golf kicks off its 2013 campaign Sunday and Monday (September 8-9) in Normal, Ill. with the 2013 Redbird Invitational. The Leathernecks and 13 other teams will compete at the Weibring Golf Club at Illinois State University.

The tournament format will be three rounds (54 holes) beginning with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Participants will golf 36 holes on Sunday, and conclude the event with 18 holes on Monday, which will also begin with a 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.

Team competing include: Ball State, Bradley, Bowling Green State, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State (hosts), Illinois Wesleyan, Oakland, Ohio, Northern Illinois, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Toledo, and Western Illinois.

Western competed in the tournament last season and finished the three-round, two-day event in 12th-place out of 15 teams with a score of 969 (318-325-326). Returners Ashley Jeffers and Kristi Tschudin led the Leathernecks finishing with scores of 239 and 240, respectively. The entire results from last season can be found HERE.

Head coach Lia Biehl Lukkarinen has seven golfers returning to her squad from last season including one senior, Kristi Tschudin, who led Western with a 79.5 stroke average a year ago. Tschudin fired her best rounds of the season, a pair of 75s, during the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational helping her card a three-round score of 228 (78-75-75).

Three juniors return to the Leathernecks' squad from a year ago in Ashley Jeffers, Jessica Knepp and Abby Ball. Jeffers had the team's lowest single round score of the year in the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational, a 71.

WIU also has three sophomores on their roster in Julie Whalen, Marissa Juliana and Allison Farrell, and welcomes two freshmen into the Leatherneck family. The newcomers are Jessica Schultz from Sheridan, Ill. and Anna Cullinan from Bettendorf, Iowa.

Western Illinois Lineup:

1. Kristi Tschudin
2. Ashley Jeffers
3. Julie Whalen
4. Anna Cullinan
5. Jessica Schultz
Ind. Allison Farrell

Tournament Quick Facts:

Host - Illinois State
Date - September 8-9
Location - Normal, Ill.
Course - Weibring Golf Club
Par - 72
Scoring - Golf Stat
Twitter - @WIUAthletics
Facebook - Western Illinois AthleticsTo view last year's stats, click HERE.

To view last year's results, click HERE.