Women's Golf Set to Build Off Historic Year
9/6/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Sep 6, 2013
Coming off its most successful year in its short history, the Seton Hall women's golf program returns its entire roster and is looking forward to more success in 2013-14. The Pirates begin the fall season with a very familiar tournament, the Bucknell Invitational. It'll be the fourth straight year that Seton Hall has begun a new academic year with the tournament.
"We're really excited to get started," said head coach Sara Doell. "We had a historic spring with five top-five finishes and are looking to at least repeat that effort in 2013. Over the last three years we've gradually gotten better at this event and lost by only one stroke last year. This fall, we're hoping to get over the top."
Arguably the most successful women's golfer in Seton Hall history, Hannah Basalone (Brea, Calif.) will be a major factor if the Pirates are going to see unprecedented success this year.
"Hannah returns as our senior captain and has been a solid, consistent performer and leader for this team over the past three years," Doell said. "She has been such a consistent and hard-working competitor and done so while fighting through a few minor injuries. She is one of only two athletes that has captured an individual title for our team."
A trio of other seniors have played integral roles with the program since its inception. Stacie Ballou (Staten Island, N.Y.), Samantha Massei (Allen, Texas) and Haley Van Es (Granger, Ind.) have all contributed mightily both on and off the course.
"You can always depend on Stacie," Doell said. "That is a statement that I know every member of this team would completely agree with. She has been a great leader on this team and a strong supporter of her teammates. While Stacie has not necessarily been a consistent member of the starting line-up, she has always been a consistent factor in this team's success. Her attitude and leadership is a great representation of what a student-athlete should be."
Massei and Van Es were relied upon heavily as regular starters as freshmen when the program was first getting off the ground.
"You can never say that Sam is not a hard worker, that's for sure," Doell said. "She's an excellent student and a good role model for the girls on this team. She works hard in the gym, in the class room and on the golf course."
"Haley brings a lot of positive energy to this team," Doell said. "She has made the Dean's list for the last three semesters and has done a great job helping the entire team, myself included, to be more prepared for events as our Yoga guru."
One of the team standouts last year and key factor moving forward was Ali Kruse (Overland Park, Kan.). Kruse became the second women's golfer in Seton Hall history to win a tournament when she took home the individual title at the St. John's Intercollegiate last fall.
"Last season, Ali's performance outdid any expectations," Doell said. "She won a tournament, earned a 4.0 in both the fall and spring and really improved her attitude all year long. I was very impressed with the dedication she had throughout process. This summer, Ali worked so hard on her game. She competed in several events throughout the summer, invested in new golf clubs and has come back to campus very prepared to compete and help lead this team."
Erin McClure (Tucson, Ariz.) took a major step forward as a sophomore and Coach Doell hopes she takes the next step in 2013-14.
"Erin made great strides in her sophomore year both on the golf course and in the class room," Doell said. "She earned Academic All-America honors last year with a great performance in the classroom, making Dean's list both semesters. She also aided our team's success on the golf course by moving from a strong #5 player for us to leading us several times."
Hampered by injury in 2012-13, the Pirates are looking forward to getting back a healthy McKenzie Cutter (Waldorf, Md.) this year.
"We are excited that McKenzie is back from injury," Doell said. "Following back surgery in December of 2012, she worked hard to rehab and took care of herself physically. While she may have not competed recently, I know that her mental toughness will help her step right back into this season with the potential to lead us."
Providing a spark as a freshman last year was Megan Tenhundfeld (Loveland, Ohio). Tenhundfeld's play in the fall season was essential to the Pirates' remarkable success.
"Megan had a very strong freshman year as she led us in two tournaments and I was very pleased with her overall performance," Doell said. "I know that she worked hard this summer and had quite a bit of success on the amateur circuit. With a year of experience under her belt and a great summer performance, I know that she has come back ready to compete."
Another freshman that showed plenty of promise last year was Karlie Zabrosky (Erie, Pa.).
"When I found Karlie in the recruiting process, I considered her a "diamond in the rough" and knew that she had quite a bit of potential," Doell said. "I was very pleased with her effort, her attitude and what she brought to this team last year. She added a great deal to our success as she often fought her way into the line-up, forcing the rest of the team to work even harder."
Seton Hall will take Cutter, Kruse, McClure, Tenhundfeld and Zabrosky to Bucknell this weekend. The Pirates will also have Basalone and Massei competing as individuals in the tournament. The 54-hole event kicks off this Saturday morning with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start from the Bucknell Golf Club.
Results following each day's events will be available on www.SHUpirates.com.
