by Connor Soudani
The Whitworth women’s golf team concluded its fall season this past weekend at the NWC Fall Classic at the Tri-Mountain Golf Course. After tying with Linfield after the first day of competition, the Pirates separated themselves from the Wilcats by 22 strokes to take over sole possession of third place after day two.
Head coach Katie Fuqua said that she is satisfied with the results the team got this weekend. “After poor conditions on the first day, we were able to rebound for a much better second day.”.
Senior Emily Guthrie capped off a strong season to finish first for the Pirates and second overall shooting 80, 73. Freshman Chelsea Bayley came in second and tied for fourteenth overall after shooting 91, 84. Freshman Yvonne LaCoursiere was third for the Pirates shooting 95, 84. Junior Ashley Danforth shot 91, 99 and came in fourth for the Pirates. Freshman Cindy Tapia rounded out the scoring for the women shooting 102, 94.
Whitman finished second in team scores, edging out Whitworth by 11 strokes to finish with 681, while George Fox took home the team title with a team score of 629.
As the day of the tournament came, it was not only the other teams on the minds of the women.
“When it was raining the first day, it was much more mentally challenging to stay focused,” Guthrie said. “When it didn’t rain as much the second day, everybody had a much better mindset.”
With freshmen making up a significant portion of the women’s roster this season, they shouldered a lot of responsibility.
“They’re really good at playing a full 18,” Danforth said. “They always kept a good attitude out there.”
Despite the challenges facing them this season, the Pirates hold their heads high.
“It was nice to see everyone improve over the course of the season,” Guthrie said. “Classics are really fun to play in.”
As the women approached the tournament, with all the tough competition looming over their heads, it was important for them to stay focused.
“Attitude played a pretty big role this weekend,” Danforth said. “We stayed positive, as we were determined to give it all we had.”
Coach Fuqua agreed that positivity played a huge role.
“Our resilient play was testament to our attitude through both days,” Fuqua said.
The fact that it was the end of the season fueled them even more.
“It was the last tournament of the year and we wanted to show (teams in our conference) what we had,” Guthrie said.
With such a long season behind them, there is a lot to consider for next season.
“We worked hard right to the end,” Fuqua said. “We need to work on our short game in the off-season, so it won’t be a problem for us next season.”
The players are keen on their weaknesses and plan to do whatever they can to improve them in the off-season.
“We’ll keep practicing when we can,” Guthrie said. “Whether it’s putting around the house, the dorm, in the snow or wherever, we’ll do what we need to do so we can improve.”
The Whitworth women’s golf team will continue competition in the spring.
Contact Connor Soudani at csoudani16@my.whitworth.edu.