Women's Golf Sees Vast Improvement During 2011 Fall Season
9/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Even though the Seton Hall women's golf team has reached its midseason break, head coach Sara Doell and the Pirates have no intentions of slowing down.
Now a full year after the program's official debut in 2010, The Hall has hit the links hard and started the 2011 season very strong. Collectively, the Pirates have posted top-10 finishes in all three tournaments to date. Last year, they had only one top-10 finish in tournaments with fields greater than 10 teams.
"What a difference a year makes," said Doell of her second-year program. "With a year of solid experience and hard work for our returning players paired with three competitive and talented freshmen, we have made tremendous strides in just one year."
And that's to say the least. Collectively though the first three events, the Pirates are 198 shots better than they were at the same three events last fall. The team has recorded improvements of 70, 76, and 52 strokes in tournaments at Bucknell, Princeton and Yale, respectively.
"I am happy with the improvements of our returning players across the board," Doell said. "I'm proud of the work ethic and attitude of every member of this team. We're a stronger team with more talent and experience than last year. Everyone is competing for a spot in the lineup this year... that alone has added to the strength of the starting five."
Sophomores Samantha Massei (Allen, Texas) and Haley Van Es (Granger, Ind.), who both competed in the Bison Invitational, improved their tournament score by 12 and 25 strokes, respectively. Second-year teammates Christina Cantú (Houston, Texas) and Hannah Basalone (Brea, Calif.) - the Pirates' top two returnees - have also both lowered their scoring average by two strokes from last season.
Basalone has led the team with a 76.22 stroke average through three tournaments. She tied for seventh at the Bucknell Invitational among 80 individual golfers, and notched top-20 finishes at both the Yale and Princeton Invitationals.
Cantú saved her best performance for the most recent tournament, the Princeton Invitational. The Texas native led the Pirates and tied for eighth among 62 golfers. Her 8-over-par, 75-75-75-224, is the lowest three-round score of the year so far for Seton Hall.
Senior Nicole Longobardo (Upland, Calif.) and sophomore Stacie Ballou (Staten Island, N.Y.), a pair of veterans who haven't seen tournament play yet this season, have both shown strong improvements in both their games and scores in practice. Both contributed mightily to the team's efforts last year and have provided strong practice competition for the Pirates currently in the starting lineup.
"Last year was a tough year as we got this program started from the ground up," Doell said. "That experience made our returning players better prepared for this fall. Even those not currently in the lineup, like Sam, Haley, Nicole and Stacie, have matured through that experience and have returned as better golfers and mentors to our three freshmen. In many respects, I credit their guidance for much of the early success of our newcomers."
Speaking of the freshmen, McKenzie Cutter (Waldorf, Md.), Ali Kruse (Overland Park, Kan.) and Erin McClure (Tucson, Ariz.) have looked more like experienced veterans than greenhorns participating in their first collegiate competition.
Cutter has started all three tournaments and currently sports the third-best stroke average on the team at 77.67. A consistent performer from the start, she has notched top-25 finishes in all three events, including a tie for 16th at the Bucknell Invitational, her first college tournament.
Kruse tied Cutter at the Bucknell Invitational for 16th place for her best finish, and has also started all three fall events. She has contributed at least two rounds to the team score in each tournament thus far.
McClure has started the last two tournaments for Seton Hall after playing her way into the lineup and has also contributed rounds to the Pirates' team score.
"I knew that the freshman class would be strong, but I am pleasantly surprised by how well they have competed to date," Doell said. "An impressive 17 of our 36 scores that counted for the team total have been produced by a freshman."
With the Pirates shaving off strokes left and right in 2011, it is no surprise that their team scoring average to date is 310.33 - 27 shots better than last year. In fact, eight of Seton Hall's nine rounds this year have been lower than the team's lowest round in all of the 2010-11 campaign.
"Even with all of the success with have had to date, I know that not one player on this team is completely satisfied with their performance," Doell said. "I look forward to seeing how the rest of the fall unfolds.
