When it comes to a must-win situation, women’s golf coach Stephanie Young said there’s nobody better than sophomore Bailey Arnold.

“She’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever coached,” Young said. “She leads in that manner on the golf course.”

Young said Arnold has emerged as the on-course leader for the team. She led the team last spring and earlier in the fall with her top scoring average. Her freshman year she averaged 79.9 in 20 rounds.

“She was the champ at Illinois State and won the playoff,” Young said. “I think the playoff is really her strength and it defines her. She’s a competitor and an athlete.”

Arnold said she is pleased with her performance during the first half of the season and has high goals for the spring.

“I started off very strong right off the bat,” Arnold said. “I started to struggle more towards the end of the season, but I am pleased overall in my scores. I was extremely happy when I was able to secure my first win of my college career in the first tournament.”

The team is practicing five or six days a week with weight room sessions two or three times a week, Young said.

Even so, there is still a lot of work to be done.

“We want to maintain and draw confidence but also work hard an trust the process,” Young said.

“Our goals for the spring are set really high,” Arnold said. “We want to come out extremely strong in the first tournament and be able to keep it up throughout the season. We want to lower our scoring average overall.”

The team will look to greatly improve its finish at the Mid-American Conference Championships, she said.

“There is a lot to improve on from last year regarding MACs and I do believe that we have a team this year that can achieve the goals that we have set up for ourselves,” Arnold said.

Arnold is one-of-a-kind to the Falcons.

“Bailey is only a sophomore and I think the sky’s the limit for her,” Young said.

The team returns to action March 25 at the Low Country Intercollegiate in Hilton Head Island, S.C.