Experience can bring teams to the promised land.
Graduate students Randi Kim and Hannah More lead the charge for the Mavericks. The Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Women’s Golf Team is ready to show what they are made of.
More has her goals set high, and she believes the roster can compete for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championship. She was named to the CMU All-Decade Team as she holds the best career scoring average with a mark of 77.70.
The Mavericks were picked to finish second in the RMAC in the preseason coaching poll. More, Kim and junior Brandy McClain were all named RMAC Golfers to Watch in the same poll.
“I think we had a really good shot last year at winning RMACs, so this year just gave us another year of practice and another year to get ready. I think our goal is to win RMACs,” More said.
Both More and Kim are captains, yet they have a few different leadership tactics that lend themselves to the others. Kim is more of the vocal leader for the team, while More leads by example.
“Randi doesn’t take everything seriously; she will make sure your mind is focused on the goal like Hannah, but she will make sure you think about the bigger picture,” sophomore Crystle Querol said.
They both have great work ethics and naturally lead by example because of it. The big difference is how they approach tournament play.
More actively seeks and invites pressure in practice, so when she gets into pressure-filled situations, she doesn’t waver.
Kim adds pressure to herself in practice, but she avoids the pressure when playing in tournaments.
“I just tell myself, it’s just a score. Like, it doesn’t matter. If you’re doing good or bad, you still have to let go of that hole and focus on the next hole,” Kim said.
The different leadership styles allow their teammates to gravitate towards the style of leadership that suites them.
More and Kim both preach to take it one hole at a time.
The juniors on this team also have the potential to make a big impact on the team this year. McClain had the third-best scoring average posting a 78.50 average for the Mavericks last season.
“She’s a breath of fresh air because she is dorky, but she can be serious,” Querol said. “Her personality is just very fun. If you’re having a bad day and you have one conversation with her, it’s like who cares about the game, you’re funny, you brightened my day.”
McClain’s energy keeps practices fun and positive. If one of her teammates has a bad day, she is always there to pick them back up.
The other junior on the team is Elly Walters, but this will be her first year on the women’s golf team. Before joining the team, she played two years on the CMU Women’s Basketball Team.
Walters has received high praise from her coach and teammates.
“She is [Walters] just unbelievably athletic, swings a golf club as good as anybody,” Head Coach, Scott Hansen, said. “Once she gets a couple of tournaments under her belt, I think she’s going to really help us this year immediately and only get better over the next couple of years.”
Winning the RMAC Championship isn’t just a goal, it is the expectation.
Querol gained valuable experience last year as a freshman as she was the second-leading scorer with a 76.70 scoring average. In her freshman campaign, she became more mentally tough as she performed under pressure time and time again last year.
The second tournament of her career was the Maverick Invitational, where she didn’t seem fazed by pressure as she took second.
Querol posted two top-10 finishes along with four top-20 finishes last year as she became one of the Mavericks top golfers.
The Maverick’s next tournament is the West Texas A&M Invitational in Amarillo, Texas on Oct. 4.
