Despite an eighth-place finish in last year’s Mid-American Conference tournament, first-year head coach Stephanie Young and the BGSU women’s golf team feel confident about this season.
“I believe that we have the opportunity to have a very successful season,” Young said. “We are returning almost the whole team from last year and adding two talented freshmen.”
Those returning players include the team’s lone senior, Kari Liggett, who placed second and third individually last season, along with two juniors: Jessica McCann and Carley Hrusovsky. McCann received MAC player of the week last season in April, while Hrusovsky was voted on the Academic All-MAC team.
The roster will take on a similar look compared to last season.
“The difference is that the returners are coming back more seasoned and with more experience,” Young said. “The team, overall, has a vision and a plan for how they want to attack the 2006-07 season.”
For Young, the step to head coach was a natural one.
“I have no anxieties whatsoever,” Young said. “I began coaching this team mid-season last year as the Interim Head Coach and have been working ever since to build and better the program.”
Liggett looks forward to the chance to play under Young in the coming season.
“She is very bright and knows how to get us prepared,” Liggett said.
To help better prepare for the upcoming season, the players have participated in tournaments and have stayed focused throughout the summer to perform at a high level throughout the season.
“During the summer, we all worked on our game and should be better than last year,” Liggett said.
After a first place finish at last year’s Youngstown State University Invitational, Liggett and the rest of the team are looking forward to defending their title when they travel back to Youngstown Sept. 11-12. Another big trip will be to Muncie, Indiana for the Cardinal Classic, where last year they finished seventh out of 14 teams.
Most importantly, the team knows what must be done to have a fun and successful season. They have prepared and worked hard to represent BG the best they can.
“The team understands what needs to be done to achieve the level of success that we desire for our program and it is our job to go out and get it done,” Young said. “It is up to us to seize the opportunity.”
