SMC GOLF: Belles win first match in history
Katie McVoy
Associate Sports Editor
The Saint Mary's golf team swung into MIAA action this weekend claiming its first ever tournament win and its first ever conference win. Four points were enough to top seven other MIAA teams and leave the Belles in good standing for the MIAA championship later this month.
"I was thrilled with [the team's] performance," head coach Theresa Pekarek said. "I think it's a place we've had the potential to go and we finally did it."
This season marks the fourth year of the program's existence and Pekarek's fourth year as head coach. During the last three seasons, despite finishing in third place in the MIAA, the Belles had never won a tournament.
With its first tournament win under its belt, Pekarek is looking for her team to play even better.
"We really played well [Saturday]," Pekarek said. "But we have the potential to play much better."
The Belles teed off at Alwyn Golf course near Olivet at the first of four all-MIAA tournaments. A team score of 349 topped second place finisher Alma.
Albion and Hope, last year's first and second place finishers in the MIAA, did not fare as well as expected. Albion finished in third place, six points behind Saint Mary's, while Hope totalled 12 more points, leaving the Flying Dutch in fourth place.
It was a young team that led the Belles to their victory. Two freshmen, a sophomore and a junior took home the top four places for the Belles, as all four finished in the top 10 for the tournament.
Junior Molly Lee led the charge with a score of 85 that gave her a third place finish overall in the tournament. Joining Lee were freshmen Julia Adams and Stefanie Simmerman and sophomore Liz Hanlon.
Adams low score of 87 gave her a seventh place finish, followed by Simmerman in eighth place with 88 and Hanlon in ninth place with a score of 89.
Senior Mary Claire Hathoway scored 87, but was playing as an individual and not as a top five member of the team, so her score did not contribute to the team total.
Adams and Simmerman already showed potential last weekend in the Ferris State Invitational, where Simmerman took 11th place overall in the 17-team field.
Last year's MIAA MVP and a NCAA second-team All American, Lacey Wickman of Hope, finished in second place, only two points lower than Saint Mary's Lee. Although the Belles have been working all season on all aspects of their game, a recent focus on the short game seems to have played a part in Saturday's victory.
"We do work very hard on the short game and that will continue to be a goal of ours," Pekarek said. "[The short game] did help; our putting has improved a great deal."
But the short game wasn't the end of what worked on Saturday.
It was a game-long effort that focused each player on every shot that really put the Belles over the top.
"I think where the team has improved greatly is that we're playing much smarter ball," Pekarek said. "When they get on the golf course they play much more strategically ... They're using very good course management."
The Belles will have to put that course management to the test next week, as they tee off in another MIAA tournament at Albion College Sept. 18.
All Sports Stories for Monday, September 10, 2001
