Golf season is in full swing for both the men’s and women’s teams even though they have not yet had a tournament.
Both teams said they were very pleased with how their fall seasons ended, and they have high hopes about the upcoming spring season as well. They were both ranked third in a preseason coaches’ poll.
Feb. 25 is the men’s first tournament of the season. Coach Dustin Howell said they have been out on the course every day. They are preparing for any condition they may be golfing in this season.
“We’ve made a special point to be out in all elements preparing us for our first tournament,” Howell said. “Golf in February is cold. There’s no getting around that.”
Lucas Collins, a junior, is the No. 1 golfer on the team. He led them in the fall season and is currently ranked 105th in the nation. He said he knows the team can do better this season than they did in the fall. Collins said he is not discouraged by the third place ranking because he knows the talent the team possesses.
“We all have high expectations for the spring,” Collins said. “We had a lot of success in the fall even though we didn’t win a tournament, but with the confidence we have built as a team and the confidence we have in each other, we feel the sky is the limit.”
Freshman Alex Williamson helped lead the team last season with an average low score of 77.8. He was pleased with how the fall season ended but knows they can perform better.
“Our goal is to win conference,” Williamson said. “That’s our priority. Only thing that matters is that we succeed as a team.”
Women’s golf coach Christy Morgan said the team had an amazing ride in their fall season. The girls worked hard and won two out of the five tournaments, which Morgan said was quite an accomplishment with only four players on the team. Morgan said she is pleased with the way last season ended, and she expects the girls to perform just as well this season as they did last.
“I am very proud of them,” Morgan said. “They represent our university very well.”
Sophomore Brittany Marquez said she is optimistic about the season despite getting a lower preseason ranking than last year.
“As a team, the ultimate goal would be to win conference and hopefully move on to regionals,” Marquez said. “I would love for our team to work together to achieve this and I think winning conference is a reachable goal for us.”
Senior Becca Godman said she is working hard to do as well as the team did last year. They ended with a conference win.
“It is my goal for us to qualify for regionals this year and I am going to do as much as I can to help the team move up in the rankings,” Godman said. “I’m looking forward to conference because it gives us a chance to show how hard we have worked and hopefully repeat our victory from last year.”
The girls’ next tournament is Feb. 17-18 in Birmingham, Ala.
