Shane Edwards, Campus Carrier Staff Writer
The Berry College women’s golf team has had a successful fall season so far. Recently, the Vikings placed second at the MCC Intercollegiate Invitational and finished fourth at the NCAA Preview in Montgomery, Ala., where the top four players shot a Berry record-breaking 9-under-par 301 for their second-day total. The NCAA Preview marked the second consecutive top five finish for the vikings. They also placed three golfers in the top 7 and two tied for the low rounds of the tournament at even par.
Graduate Assistant Coach Sydney Weaver said she is very proud of the hard work and preparation that the team has been putting in.
“The team has put in countless hours of practice, qualifying and preparation to get to where they are at,” Weaver said. “The team also has a great dynamic of pushing and encouraging each other to do better and compete.”
The team has had a standout year, with multiple athletes displaying impressive performances in the past couple of competitions.
A player that has rose to a leadership position on the team is sophomore Jorie Hodapp. She tied for first place at the MCC Intercollegiate Invitational, shooting a combined two-day total of five-over-par 151. Hodapp followed with a second-place finish at the NCAA Preview by shooting a combined score of two-over-par 148. Hodapp credits her individual success, as well as that of the team as a whole, to a good mentality and teamwork.
“Our success is because of our team’s cohesiveness and how well we get along with each other on and off the course,” Hodapp said. “Each one of us has improved our mental games to endure the whole round and stick with it. We want to win and we have put in a lot of work to do that.”
The Vikings will look to continue their success as the year progresses. Hodapp said they know that there are much more difficult obstacles ahead of them, but they can continue to push through with hard work, help from their teammates, keeping the same preparation and just simply playing golf.
“It’s just playing golf,” Hodapp said. “We cannot control the leaderboards. We are continuing to go out and practice hard, while the coaches are also really pushing us to get better.”
The Berry College women’s golf team will look to keep the success rolling as they will travel to Sandestin, Fla. to compete in the Golfweek Preview on October 15.