Coming into this past season there was a sense of excitement surrounding the team.
Jordan Woods and #Kristi O’Brien
were on top of their games and had made quick friends. To add to that was the long-awaited arrival of Jordan Essman# from a shoulder injury after transferring from Indiana Tech.
Before the spring season the talk was of challenging for tournament wins and actually competing, something the program hasn’t had much experience with. The team challenged each other to play better, they became a close-knit bunch and through that gained, the experience and confidence to become a great program.
The start of the spring season in Florida saw a tournament victory at the Bulldog Florida Invitational and a pair of third place finishes at the Don Benbow Invitation and the Sunshine Spring Classic. From there, the team sputtered a little and found themselves finishing seventh in the conference tournament to end the season.
High Expectations in 2011-12
The higher expectations for the team took root in the girls’ overall talent instead of just one or two talented golfers. With the higher expectations came more confidence for the individuals, and confidence is key to any golfer’s game.
“We had that confidence in us going into tournaments,” said the senior-to-be O’Brien. “In years past we didn’t have that confidence. When you are expected to win and others expect you to do well it helps you believe in yourself because everyone sees that in you also.”
The girls all acknowledged this year they had the talent to be a contending force in The Summit League, but admitted they lacked the consistency as a team. It seemed when one player was on top of her game, the rest were struggling.
“We have so much potential,” O’Brien said. “I just feel we didn’t use it well. None of us really played well in the spring as much as we know we could.”
O’Brien is coming off of an Academic All-Summit League selection and ended a season in which she posted a school record and team-leading 79.04 stroke average and was the individual champion at the Bulldog Invitational in Jacksonville.
Her teammate and close friend, Woods, posted an 80.72 stroke average with three top five finishes in tournament play and also earned Academic All-Summit League.
“We didn’t live up to our expectations at all,” Woods said. “We just weren’t able to put together good rounds all at once. We had pieces, but we never put the pieces together really.”
Essman, who after sitting out a year from transferring and a shoulder injury echoed that statement.
“I think individually we all proved at one point or another we could all play and that we know what we are doing,” she said. “We didn’t quite put it together like we wanted to.”
Off-Season Buzz
This offseason is again filled with excitement and even higher expectations for the team. With the added experience of the current squad and the addition a recruiting class headed by Yuri Otsuka and Kelli Witt, the team is hoping to continue to build the program.
Consistency as a team should definitely improve, as they were one of the only teams in the Summit League to have the same top-5 in every tournament they played. That might change next year though as coach
John Andrews has brought in Otsuka to hopefully contend for a top spot on the team.
"We definitely have high expectations for Yuri. She's a really good player," Andrews said. "Her job is to come in and be better than the girls that the other schools in our league have brought in. She's played at a really high level for a long time, so I see no reason why she can't come in and be in our top five. She's going to have to earn that spot because all five girls we played at the conference tournament come back, but I know that'll be one of her goals."
The girls are excited about the Japan-native's addition as well.
“We have never seen her play, but from what our coaches have told us, she is a great player,” Essman said. “She will be a great addition to the top 5 and hopefully help us win conference and win a couple tournaments.”
Preparing in the Summer
Summer months usually allow student-athletes time to focus more on their games. With no school and ideal weather, this is even more of an advantage for golfers, who need time on the links to perfect their game.
Although the girls aren’t all staying on campus - O’Brien is in Indy, Woods is home in Brownsburg and Essman is home in Angola - they still find time to get a few rounds in together.
“We are playing in the Indiana Open next week,” Essman said. “I have a practice round with (teammate
Lauren Kuss) and Jordan is playing in the tournament as well.”
Even when the girls cannot all get together, they are all working hard to improve their games individually.
“I am just living at home and playing golf everyday and just trying to get better,” Essman said.
“Summer is a time in which you have all day to really work on your game and play all day,” Woods said.
O’Brien’s summer plans include state tournaments and playing all day every day, but also include the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships on June 27-July 2 in Bandon, Ore..
Looking Ahead
With another year under their belts, the promise of the young recruit and a full summer of golf the team is planning on big things next year. They want to not only compete for every tournament, but they also have hopes of winning the conference.
A Summit League title is not far away for this women’s golf program as improvement is seen every year. If the girls can play up to their own expectations, then even an NCAA tournament appearance could be realistic.
“I think we can we can challenge for the conference title,” Essman said. “If we all play together and play like we know we can. I don’t think it should be a problem for us to be in contention for that tournament. We all are great players, we just need to be able to put it together.”
Like the rest of the IUPUI sports programs, this golf program is abuzz with excitement and has the potential to make strides.
Aug. 3 – Women’s Cross Country
Aug. 10 – Women’s Soccer
Aug. 17 – Men’s Soccer
Aug. 24 – Volleyball
Aug. 31 – Men’s Basketball
Sept. 7 – Women’s Tennis
