The Spring Hill College women’s golf team has newfound motivation in the move up to Division II.
The women’s golf team started their spring season with the Badger Invitational from February 25th through the 26th. Although they finished in eighth place out of the eight teams, the team is still determined to turn the season around. Assistant Coach Gabi Oubre says the team has a lot of perseverance, and at every golf tournament the girls go out there and “try to do their best”. With the move to Division II comes harder competition and more expectations for athletes. Oubre says “it’s good to play with people who are better than you” and that playing stronger competition motivates players to push themselves further. Sophomore Lauryn Herman expressed the same mindset of the competition acting as a motivator. Herman says that it has pushed her to “do more, to be better and to strive for the excellence she did not think was possible before.”
Division II has brought new opportunities to the team as well. Not only is the competition harder but it now gives the players a chance to move further in the season. Senior Hannah Vines says advancing to Division II “allows our team or an individual from our team to actually win tournaments.”
This season the team must deal with their setback in numbers. With the loss of Senior Alexa Shelton, who graduated in the Fall, and Freshman Alecia Wells being out of the season with a shoulder injury, the team only has six girls in their lineup. This makes it even more crucial for the players to not overwork themselves since there is not anyone else that can step in. With the team facing more upcoming tournaments, Oubre says they will have to be sure to “keep rested and stay well” because their numbers are so slim. As for the team’s strengths, Herman and Vines noted the team’s chemistry. Herman discussed that while the coaches are tied up with individual matches, the players are busy giving “back and forth encouragement” to each other. Vines also mentioned that the team is good at not only supporting each other and having fun, but also thinking about how they can improve their game. She explains that they set mini goals for each tournament, whether it is “to shoot under 80, or have no 3 putts, or to work on a swing change”. Not only do these goals help the team to think about getting better, but it keeps them in a positive mindset. The women’s team will be playing in the Bama Beach Bash on Friday, March 22nd in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The men’s golf team started their spring season at the Coastal Alabama Invitational in Daphne, Alabama from February 16th through 17th. They placed seventh, carding rounds of 319 and 316 for a total of 635. However, they placed sixth out of twelve teams at the Carey Collegiate Classic in Hattiesburg, MS that took place from March 11th through 12th. Freshmen Alex Heib and Peter Schilli tied for ninth in the individual standings after they each shot 73 on day one. On day two they finished tied for the thirteenth position at 4-over-par (148)- nine strokes off the lead. On April 1st, the team will play in the Argonaut Invitational in Pensacola, Florida.
