BY WIL CREWS
SPORTSCREWS@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA —
The Southern Union State Community College (SUSCC) women’s golf team is heading to Nationals in Garden City, Kansas, May 9 through 12.
Southern Union’s golf program is in its second year, and after sending just one individual qualifier to Nationals last season, the entire Lady Bison squad qualified for the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletics Association) Nationals this time around. Southern Union women’s golf head coach Andy Vaughn said the biggest difference from year one to year two is the players’ mentalities.
“We started back in early September, and I just have a great group of girls that listens to what we tell them,” he said. “Their work ethic is second to none. And toward the end, they were expecting to play well. So it was just a great work attitude. They work hard each and every day. And they are great students. We are proud of that.”
It’s been a season of firsts for Southern Union’s women’s golf team, in fact. Earlier this season, the Bison team defeated rival Wallace State Community College twice — a feat that had not been completed by anyone in the conference for seven years.
“Our nemesis is Wallace State,” Vaughn said.
Although the Lady Bison squad had built its confidence this season with performances like the two victories over Wallace State, Vaughn admitted he didn’t know what to expect at last week’s District Tournament.
“We had two tournaments early in February and March that we won,” Vaughn said. “And then our two next tournaments we got beat handily by Wallace. So, I didn’t know where we were.”
Ultimately, the Bison secured their spot at Nationals by finishing second, behind first place finisher Wallace State, in the NJCAA South District Tournament April 10 and 11 in Hanceville, Alabama. Southern Union finished with a two-day score of 650, eight shots behind leader Wallace State, four shots above third place Tyler Junior College and seven shots above fourth place Blinn College.
“The second day we played very well, and we finished like we did,” Vaughn said. “I wasn’t surprised, but I was very happy the girls played like they could.”
According to Vaughn, all of the top-four-finishing schools — Southern Union, Wallace State, Tyler and Blinn — entered the tournament ranked within the Top 15 of the NJCAA women’s golf rankings. The head coach said he was happy with his team’s performance against such a talented field.
“Those were the four really good teams,” Vaughn said. “So, it was a nice victory for us to finish second.”
Five of Southern Union’s Lady Bison placed within the top 20 finishers at the District Tournament. Sydney Ormsby placed No. 2, with a two-round score of 156; Kate Herod placed eighth, with a two-round score of 164; Ashley Zimmermann and Shelby Hughes finished tied for No. 9, with scores of 165; and Ella Kate Hewes placed 19th, with a two-round score of 174. Ormsby’s performance earned her a nod on the All-District Tournament team.
The Southern Union women’s golf team plays at Grand National, a Robert Trent Jones golf trail, in Opelika.
“Those people are fantastic to us,” Vaughn said.
This week, the team is back practicing in preparation for Nationals, which will begin May 9. Vaughn said most of that time will likely be spent focusing on where the team can improve.
“Off the tee they are very, very good,” he said. “Where we practice hard is from 100 yards in. If we are going to hone in on anything, it’s that and putting.”
As year two of the Southern Union golf program comes to a close, Vaughn said he believes the Lady Bison are hitting their peak and looks forward to the challenge of Nationals.
“They are playing well, boosted confidence, and we are expecting to do well at Nationals,” he said.