This spring the Northwestern women’s golf team had great expectations. Ranked in the Top 25 all season, even breaking into Golfweek’s preseason top 10, the Wildcats looked like a gimme to advance to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year.
Apparently, the Cats perform better as a team up against the odds.
“Last year we went in without expectations,” junior Emily Gilley said. “This year we all knew we belonged, and we were sure we’d make it.”
Last year NU was a longshot for a spot in the NCAA tournament, but after shocking the field with a second-place finish in the NCAA East Regional, the Cats advanced to the collegiate golf championship.
This year the higher-ranked Cats faced a deep pool of talent in the East regional, including top-ranked Duke, No. 3 Auburn and No. 6 Georgia. NU played a poor opening round, and just as their comeback started to gain strength on the final day, the tournament was called on account of rain, leaving the Cats in a tie for 15th place.
The Cats’ expectations were compounded because of the strength of their roster this year. The team lost two seniors from last year’s squad, Karen England and Colleen Kiely, but gained two freshmen who played in every tournament, Lauren Grzebien and Hana Kim.
“This year we were potentially stronger, but you don’t always reach your full potential,” said sophomore Elizabeth Burden, who didn’t get to finish her final round in the regional because of the weather.
The rankings reflected the improved roster this year, but they may have played a role in the Cats’ disappointments as well.
“I know some of the girls do, but I never check any rankings,” Burden said. “I don’t think they mean much.”
Cats players say they came close to realizing their potential at the Big Ten Championships, where they tied for second with Indiana behind Michigan State.
“Big Tens were a real team effort,” Gilley said. “Everyone contributed, and good play by the freshmen helped, considering we are graduating two seniors.”
Kim finished first for the team and eighth overall in the conference championships, and Grzebien tied with Burden for second on the team and 17th overall.
Playing their final seasons on the course for NU were seniors Christie Hermes and Kristen Beystehner, both four-year letter winners.
By the end of the year, the seniors had given way to the younger players. Their contribution to the team was still significant, even with their altered roles.
“They add insight that naturally comes from age and being on the team longer,” Kim said.
If NU puts any value on the rankings of its signees for next year to replace Hermes and Beystehner, it will be impressed by Ina Kim and Mary Ellen Grzebien – younger sisters of Hana Kim and Lauren Grzebien. In the Golfweek junior rankings, Kim is No. 6 and Grzebien is No. 29.
“Next year we are gaining depth and we realize that we are going to have to work for (NCAA Championships) and not just expect it,” Gilley said.
The Cats’ season was officially concluded by officials and rain, instead of actual scores – a bothersome end to a promising season for NU.
“Afterward we didn’t really have a talk, there was more of a silence that said it all,” Kim said. “I think there were too many emotions running, and it was better to let it sit.”
Despite overwhelming disappointment, the Cats found some solace in the fact that they were on the verge of coming back when the season ended.
“I think we ended on kind of a high point,” Gilley said. “We really hung together for the last two days. I felt in my heart that we’d have pulled it out the last day if that rain hadn’t come.”
