By Nathanael Hawthorne
The fall season for the Youngstown State University women’s golf team ended Oct. 15 after the team placed fifth at the University of Dayton Fall Invitational.
Going into the season, the team had high expectations after a successful season last year.
The team medaled in two of the five events it participated in. Freshman team member Christina Lewis believes the fall season was successful and attributes that success to the momentum the team had after winning its first invitational and taking second place in its second invitational.
“I think we did really well in our first two tournaments, which was nice to start in a good way. … I think [it] really helped us for the rest of the season,” Lewis said.
Following the first two tournaments, the team played in the Nittany Lion Invitational, hosted by Pennsylvania State University.
Head coach Nate Miklos predicted a tough field for the team, and that prediction would prove to be true. The tournament featured difficult opponents, such as the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University.
“I think the competition for the Penn State tournament was much harder than the first two tournaments, so I think that was one of the main reasons we didn’t do so well,” sophomore team member Victoria Grans said. “But I also think that those tournaments are the ones [where] we learned the most.”
Despite the struggles of the season, Grans believes that the team is headed in the right direction.
“I think that we all feel that we fell a little short, but I also think that it’s just one step forward,” Grans said.
At the beginning of this season, Grans said the team was more competitive than last year. The team has had a better fall season this year.
“We [have] a competitive team this year,” Grans said. “We had some good tournaments and some harder ones, but I think we learned a lot and we really built our team as a whole.”
The only major speed bump on the road to success was the Penn State Invitational. The team placed 11th both years; however, this year the 11th place finish was the only time the team dipped below sixth place.
“I just think we all gave it everything we had. … We all worked really hard throughout the season,” Lewis said.
Grans believes the setbacks of the fall season will propel the team to greater success in the spring.
“I really think that we grew as a team, and I think that can take us far. I’m really proud of my team and how we help each other out and lift each other up. I’m so happy to have all my teammates there, and I think that we [are] an amazing team,” Grans said.
The team will open the spring season March 1 in the Kiawah Island Spring Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston.
