The fall season is almost officially here, which means the members of the WCU women’s golf team are ready to tee off their season. Coach Doug Hendricks has been offering his helpful instruction to the Lady Rams throughout the summer so they can be prepared for the upcoming tournaments. The team will be putting a major dent in their fall schedule next weekend, as they compete in two tournaments in Eerie, Pa. The first will be the Evann Parker Memorial tournament hosted by Mercyhurst College.
Once the Lady Rams finish the 36th hole of the two-day tournament at Mercyhurst, they will have to rest up and get ready to tee off again the next day for the Michael Corbett Fall Classic hosted by Gannon University. The team will be forced to get back into the swing of things as they take on 72 holes in four days. When asking senior captain, Nicole Cavalcante about her thoughts on the 72- hole season starter, she stated, “72 holes is a different start for us as we enter the season, but we have been working very hard in the off-season, so we feel prepared for these tournaments.”
Cavalcante is entering her 4th and final season as a Golden Ram and admits her feelings are bittersweet, “I have been playing sports my whole life, so knowing I’m entering my final seasons as a Ram is bittersweet.” Cavalcante added that she hopes to do as much as she can for her team this year because it has been an honor playing as a Golden Ram these past four years. Looking at Cavalcante’s past stats, showing leadership on and off the course should not be a problem for her. She has been a leading scorer on the team since her freshman year, when she came in first place at the Clarion Invitational.
Alongside Cavalcante is junior Gabby Couture, who is extremely excited about the upcoming season. Couture has been working on her game all summer, and is ready to take on the challenging four days of competition golf in Eerie. Couture had a great past season, where she was consistently one of the top scorers alongside Cavalcante. Those two are ones to watch.
Cavalcante and Couture are excited for the newest additions to the squad, as they welcome freshmen Katie Clark, Taylor Daskivich, and Ashley Teufel. Coach Hendricks is also excited about their passion and work ethic thus far. He believes that these three athletic girls have great potential and are dedicated to improving their games.
The Women’s Golf team seems ready to take on the challenging tournaments and golf courses that the 2013-2014 season has in store. Their positivity can take them a long way in this mentally taxing sport, and they have great leaders showing this optimistic attitude. Best of luck to the Lady Rams as they tee off their season!
Jenna Hopkins is a third-year student majoring in communication studies. She can be reached at JH758665@wcupa.edu.