Optimism, Improvement Abound as Women's Golf Eyes Year Two
9/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
In its first season of competition, the Seton Hall women's golf program enjoyed a number of successes that point to a bright future on the links. Head coach Sara Doell guided a roster composed primarily of freshmen last year, and she will welcome three talented newcomers to a group of six returnees in 2011-12.
"This fall season looks to be very promising as we have six returning players and three freshmen on the roster," Doell said. "With a year of experience for our returning players and a very talented freshman class coming in, we have the potential to be very competitive this fall season. We are competing in five strong events with solid fields and have an exciting opportunity to advance this program to the next level."
Sophomore Hannah Basalone was the Pirates' most consistent performer in year one. Basalone competed in every tournament and led the team with a 78.88 stroke average, while also recording the first two top-10 finishes for the new program. In her collegiate debut, she tied for ninth in the Bucknell Invitational, before later placing fifth at the Spider Invitational to close out the fall. Basalone will remain a strong contender for the Hall's number one spot in her second season.
"Hannah had a very impressive freshman debut with four top-10 finishes, including a fifth place showing at the Spider Invitational," Doell said. "She will look to improve on her first year scoring average as she has worked very diligently this past summer on her game. Hannah sets a great example in the classroom as she finished with a 4.0 GPA last spring and earned a spot on the NGCA Academic All-Scholar Team. I look to Hannah to lead this team into our second season both on the golf course and in the classroom"
Despite battling injuries, sophomore Christina Cantú displayed plenty of potential as a rookie. She was second on the team with a 79.68 stroke average and was the team's top individual finisher at the Yale Fall Intercollegiate and the Cincinnati Spring Invitational.
"Christina is coming in off of a recent win at the Houston Golf Association Eddie Burke, Sr. Young Houstonian in late July," Doell said. "I know this gave her some renewed confidence in her ability to compete with the best and she will take that into the fall season. After suffering several injuries last season, Christina worked hard in the gym and on the golf course and has come back to campus injury free and ready to compete."
Sophomores Samantha Massei and Haley Van Es represented the Pirates in every event during the 2010-11 season. Massei provided one of the year's most exciting moments when she carded the program's first hole-in-one at the Bucknell Invitational on the fall season's opening weekend. Van Es showed steady improvement throughout the year, posting her best round at the Cincinnati Spring Invitational.
"Sam started of her freshman season with a bang as she carded the first hole-in-one in Seton Hall women's golf history during the Bison Invitational," Doell said. "With the guidance of Coach Murphy, she made some significant swing changes during her first year, and as she left for the summer, I know that she felt good about these changes."
"Haley worked hard her freshman year as she represented the team in the starting line-up in every event," Doell continued. "I know that Haley worked very hard on her swing, short game and fitness level over the past summer and is ready to come back with a strong performance this fall. I look to Haley to lead these incoming freshmen with her energy and infectious enthusiasm."
Senior Nicole Longobardo and sophomore Stacie Ballou also return after sharing time in the Hall's lineup last year.
"Nicole's improvement from the fall of 2010 to the spring of 2011 was significant," Doell said. "She returns as our only upperclassman and I know that she will step into a leadership role this year. She is an excellent student, a hard worker and has a positive attitude."
"Stacie is striking the ball very solidly and played some great golf this summer as she competed in a collegiate players tour event at Radley Run Country Club and carded three rounds that averaged 20 shots lower than her freshman year average," Doell said. "The dedication and hard work that she put in this summer has shown and I am excited to see her compete this fall."
Freshman McKenzie Cutter joins the program from North Point High School in Maryland, where she was a four-year varsity letter winner. Cutter finished third in the state championship as a junior and has nine top-10 finishes in national junior events.
"I have tracked McKenzie for several years through her junior career and have seen her golf game, swing, short game and attitude make tremendous improvements," Doell said. "I had the chance to see her compete at the PGA Callaway event this past July in State College where she finished second, shooting a 70-76-76-222. She has added impressive distance off the tee, has a creative short game, and with some guidance on course management, I believe McKenzie has the potential to be a very strong competitor for us this fall."
Ali Kruse, a freshman from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Kansas, has four top-10 and eight top-20 finishes in national junior events. The 2010 Missouri Junior Amateur champion, Kruse won the Kenneth Smith Award, presented annually to a Greater Kansas City Area High School female and male golfer who demonstrate excellence on and off the course.
"When Ali decided to commit to the Pirates last year, I knew that we were very fortunate to sign her," Doell said. "She has improved her game dramatically since the summer of 2009 as she fired a career-low 71 in the final round of the 2010 AJGA - Lockton tournament to finish fifth place in a very strong field. I believe she has the potential to step into this line up as a freshman and compete at a very high level."
Freshman Erin McClure arrives at the Hall from Catalina Foothills High School in Arizona. A four-year varsity letter winner, McClure helped her school to state championships in 2009 and 2010 and placed third individually as a senior. She boasts three top-10 finishes in AJGA qualifiers.
"Having Erin on campus is exciting as she is such a positive and energetic person," Doell said. "When she left campus after her recruiting trip last fall, I knew that she was going to have a positive impact on this team, not only on the golf course but also through her attitude."
The Pirates will compete in fall tournaments at Bucknell, Yale, Princeton, Rutgers and Lehigh.
"I look forward to leading this program into its second season," Doell said. "We begin on September 10th at the Bison Invitational hosted by Bucknell. Last year, we finished 10th in a field of 18 at this event and we can make significant improvements on that finish with the strength of this team."
