As the Westfield Girls Golf season continues, the Lady Rocks have been a dominant force in the state of Indiana.
Nhi Thai
Staff Writer
September 29, 2021
Coming back to school full-time has allowed for the team to be more cohesive and efficient, in comparison to last season. Head coach Trevor Neu has been a huge influence when it comes to training the team, but he attributes credit to the athletes for their accomplishments so far.
“Our team's success comes directly from the players’ work ethic,” Neu said. “They work extremely hard all year and that has led to their success and our team’s success.”
Through the training and practice put forth by players, such as senior Sophia McGinnis, the Lady Rocks have represented Westfield High School well.
“As a team, we’ve had the lowest average we’ve ever had in Westfield Girls Golf history, which is cool,” McGinnis mentioned. “Individually, I’m doing really well too. I couldn’t be more proud or happy with myself.”
The journey to success was not easy for the Rocks. Senior Alison Hildebrand has been on the squad for her entire high school career and has seen the changes made to develop the team.
“It’s really exciting, but I feel it’s pretty earned too because last season during the winter, we, as a team, talked about what it would take to reach our goals,” Hildebrand said. “We decided that it took all of us doing our fair share of work and pushing each other to be better.”
Despite this being her freshman season, Addison Kooi embraces the hard work and has played a critical role in helping the team get up to as high as number one in the Coaches Poll. Kooi feels welcomed and close-knit with her team, which allows for their camaraderie to improve.
“We stay really focused and work hard during the season,” Kooi noted. “We practice like we’re actually playing as well.”
While the Rocks have had great success thus far during the regular season, the team is focused on advancing deep in the postseason this year. Sophomore Samantha Brown looks ahead to further goals and achievements that the team can reach.
“Our season’s going great. We’re excited to make it into the postseason and get ready to compete in sectionals,” Brown said.
Although their success is a positive aspect, there comes many intricate factors and efforts that allow them to succeed. With golf comes a lot of pre-round preparation, and McGinnis explains how she gets prepared for the tough competition that she faces every week.
“I ask the coach a lot of questions, so I’m a little bit of a perfectionist and planner,” McGinnis said. “I like to know everything and as much information as I possibly can. When I know all of that, I go out onto the course and feel more comfortable.”
A positive trend doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a flaw or hardships. Having many experiences with tournaments and golf courses, McGinnis can strategize against some distractors and changes.
“So many things could go wrong that you don’t expect to go wrong,” McGinnis said. “Golf is a really hard sport, and things you don’t plan or want to happen still happen. You have to be able to adjust and change on the fly.”
Although there are many challenges to come for the team, they hope to continue on the winning path. Hildebrand’s seniority gives her the experience to understand the consequences while staying calm and working towards her goals.
“Tournaments can be mentally tough,” Hildebrand said. “Our seasons are so cramped, so the last round in my mind is where I played really bad a day or two before. The hardest part is just trying to focus on the good and improvements you want to make.”