The Chico State women’s golf team is slowly getting back on track after a rough beginning.
The Wildcats entered the 2009-2010 season ranked 21st in Division II by the Golf World/National Golf Coaches Association preseason poll in part because of the program’s first ever appearance in the national championships last season where they finished 12th.
Regardless of last season’s ranking, the team has had a tough start. They earned the 12th place in the Grand Canyon Fall Invitational Oct. 5 and 7th place in both the Western Washington Invitational Oct. 12 and Sonoma State Invitational Oct. 19.
“We are definitely off to a slow start and haven’t played well so far,” said senior Erin Sears. “Hopefully we finish the season’s last tournament on a good note.”
There is great confidence that the team will re-appear in the national championships, said head coach Kathy Dais.
“Expectations are high because of the great players we have on the team,” Dais said. “We have the tools be great.”
There are a lot of freshmen on the roster, but that doesn’t concern Dais.
“We have a lot more players, more depth and more competition,” said senior Shelby Hooper. “It’s a better atmosphere for everyone as we are constantly competing for the top spots.”
Even though the team has not had a great start, the focus the players and Dais have for the spring semester has not been deterred.
“We realize that it’s the team that qualifies, not the individuals,” she said. “We are working really hard and we're going to use that to carry over into the spring."
The team needs to mentally be able to finish its rounds stronger, Dais said.
She pointed out some of the aspects the team needs to improve on if they want to return to top form.
“We are not where we want to be,” she said. “We need a top five in Monterey to finish on a good note.”
From the team that participated at the national championships, only seniors Megan Chang, Hooper and Sears returned.
“It was a great learning experience,” Hooper said. “Hopefully we will keep that momentum going on to improve in the spring.”
The women’s golf team will play one more tournament this semester and then head to the off-season to prepare for their spring semester.
“It all comes to practice, competing and after that we will be fine-tuned and set in the correct mindset,” Sears said. “We will get off to a good spring season and head for the playoffs.”
Gerardo Rocha can be reached at
grocha@theorion.com
Be the first to comment on this article!