Eighteen girls, eighteen holes, one potential-filled season. With the largest team in school history, the womens golf team looks ahead at the upcoming postseason with excitement.
In years past, only one athlete has qualified for any State match, but the team is confident it can fill Liberty’s six State qualifying spots.
Even though golf is an individual sport, the individual scores are added together to make one average team score. The team’s average score has dropped significantly during this season, going from a previous score of 58.9 points to 54.9 points this spring. So far, the team has won two out of its four matches and has had many athletes break their personal records.
Part of what is helping the huge jump in success this year is the team dynamic.
“We have a really close team this year. We are really tight knit and we all have our little inside jokes. It’s just a fun team to be a part of,” senior and team captain Hanna Hanson said.
In addition to the returning, experienced upperclassman, the team has many strong underclassmen who are continuously pushing themselves, such as sophomore McHailey King.
“She is not afraid to come up and ask ‘will you help me’ and try to figure out what is going on. She doesn’t just accept what is happening; she is willing to work at it,” junior Samantha Galluzzo said. “If she has a bad round, or is having a bad day, she will go and hit another bucket.”
Because of the strong underclassman team, Hanson says the prospects for future years are already looking good.
“We have a lot of girls challenging themselves and pushing themselves to be better, which is really exciting,” Hanson said. “We see that the team is going to progress, even when the seniors leave.”