The North Central College women’s golf team competed in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament on Oct. 6 through the 8th at the Naperbrook Golf Course in Plainfield.
The players who represented North Central in the CCIW Tournament were Megan Kelly (’17), Maggie Russell (’20), Nicole Dutz (’17), Laura Ringo (’19), Gillian Young (’19), and Paige Candra (’17).
Out of the 45 golfers who participated, Kelly placed 6th, Russell placed 16th, Dutz placed 18th, Candra and Young tied for 19th, and Ringo placed 32nd. As a team, the Cardinals placed third out of seven teams.
There can be a lot of pressure on athletes to perform well in big tournaments, so Head Coach Tye Thompson kept the practices leading up to the tournament fairly relaxed.
“I’ve tried to keep [practices] very loose so the team doesn’t get too tense and nervous about [the tournament],” said Thompson.
Golf is a very mentally involved game, so it is important that the players’ minds are clear heading into the tournament. “Any time you play a sport that has so much mental capacity, you have to keep your mind as relaxed and focused as possible,” said Thompson.
Coach Thompson would have liked for his team to have won the tournament, but all he really asked of the team was that they did their best, and placing third out of seven shows they did that.
“The number one expectation is to win [the tournament], but that is the end result,” said Thompson. “I’m looking for each of the players participating to go out and try to be the best they can be those three days.”
This was be the seniors’ last CCIW Tournament, and Megan Kelly (’17), who placed 6th overall, wanted to make the most of her last meet.
“As a senior, I just want to go out on the course with confidence, and to have fun playing in my last conference tournament,” said Kelly. “The same goes for the team. If they have the confidence in themselves that they can play well, then it will happen, and they will have fun doing it.”
