Sept. 8, 2003
The 2002-03 season for the Ohio State women's golf team proved to be one incredible milestone. Under the guidance of head coach Therese Hession and assistant coach Marisa Mears, the Buckeyes recorded their highest finish in school history at the 2003 NCAA Championships, placing fourth of 24 teams. In addition, junior Allison Hanna and sophomore Kristen White were lauded with Second Team All-America honors, marking the first time in the history of the program two members on the OSU team had accomplished such an honor in the same year.
The three squads that finished in front of Ohio State at the NCAA championships - Southern California, Pepperdine and Texas - all hail from year-round golf atmospheres. The Buckeyes' impressive finish, though not surprising to the players or coaches, did seem to open the eyes of many college golf enthusiasts gathered in West Lafayette, Ind.
"A lot of people, even during recruiting, say they don't know how we did it, but we did," Hession said. "There have been a lot of positive comments but it hasn't been out of the blue. The year before, we didn't even play well and finished eighth in the country, so it's not like it was some random thing. I think people are starting to recognize that but they still can't figure out how we can do it. It is kind of fun letting them wonder.
"All the recruits who have committed to come in for visits have all realized something is going right here. They would all really like to go south but they would like to come here and check it out because Ohio State is interesting to them."
Lisa Strom, an All-Big Ten selection for the Buckeyes from 1998-2000 can easily see what a great opportunity it is-and was-to play golf at Ohio State. "When I was there, almost everyone on the team was from the North," Strom said. "Now, the team has gained national recognition. A lot of girls are taking a look at Ohio State. Not only do you get a great coach, but the program speaks to itself. I think it helps to have a break from golf to be excited about it. The fact that you don't play every day for 12 months can be an advantage when it comes time for nationals. Ohio State is a little secret that is starting to get exposed a little bit."
The first of four days at the 2003 NCAA championships was not friendly golf weather. It was, however, somewhat familiar to Ohio State. Rain and drizzle along with wind gusts up to 28 miles per hour hit the morning group of 12 squads, including the Buckeyes. The sun appeared for the afternoon session but strong winds remained intact and the temperature was approximately 55 degrees. After 18 holes, the Ohio State led the morning bunch and finished the first round in a tie for second place.
"The weather was an advantage for us because we are used to playing in these type of conditions," Hession said. "Nobody enjoyed playing in weather like that but our players can react to it a little better than some other teams."
Strom, who was passing through West Lafayette on her way up to a Futures tour event, had a chance to watch her former team during the first round.
"It was a big advantage for them since they were used to the conditions of what golf is like at a northern school," Strom said. "They were prepared and confident. Therese does a great job in having them prepared for all conditions. Other teams were expecting calm weather and that wasn't the case."
After the second round, Ohio State dropped two spots to fourth and after day three, six teams were ahead of the Scarlet and Gray.
It was the final day of competition that proved to be the difference. The Buckeyes shot a team round of 293 and finished just one stroke out of third place and two away from second.
"The fact that we were only two shots out of second place was really an eye-opener," Hanna said. "We proved to ourselves that we have the ability to win nationals next year."
Three players, Hanna, White and redshirt freshman Jennifer Selfinger fired rounds of 73 on the final day. Teammate Lindsay Knowlton posted a mark of 74. In addition, three Buckeyes finished in the Top 20 individually: White tied for sixth (300), Hanna tied for 11th (301) and Knowlton tied for 19th (303).
"The team, especially Lindsay, Kristen and Allison are all mentally tough," Hession said. They were not going to be denied doing well at a conference level or at a national level. Jennifer Selfinger did a great job stepping up. Clearly, her several good rounds at nationals made a big difference, even with what the other three did. It was definitely a team effort. They were not afraid of anybody else and they definitely stepped up and rose to the occasion."
The NCAA championships capped off an astonishing year, but the impressive feats that led up to the season finale are also part of the storybook season. After a decent fall, the Buckeyes played in four tournaments in the spring that were neither horrible nor outstanding. The turning point of the season came during the first week of April at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga. The event featured some of the top national programs, including 2002 NCAA champion Duke. Nine of the 17 teams which competed in Georgia moved on to the NCAA championships, including the Buckeyes, which finished with an impressive second-place finish at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.
"There were a lot of really good teams in Georgia," Hession said. We could have played well and finished eighth or ninth. When we finished second, I think they realized, 'Hey, you know what, we can play with everybody.' It was a real breakthrough."
Knowlton had her career-best tournament, firing 216 to finish in second place individually while Hanna claimed a fourth-place finish. The event really gave a boost to the team as it headed back to Columbus for a home tournament.
From that point on, the Ohio State season would only get better.
During the first round of the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational, White tallied a school-record round of 66, sparked by her first career double eagle on the par-5 No. 12 hole. She finished with medalist honors, recording a score of 214, a mark that tied the course record.
The squad did not get much of a break after claiming the Lady Buckeye title. The following weekend, Ohio State headed to Iowa City, Iowa and successfully defended the conference crown with its second-consecutive win at the Big Ten Championships. The Buckeyes finished the tournament with a score of 1,194 in four rounds, 29 strokes ahead of second-place Wisconsin.
Hanna earned her first career medalist honors at the event, tying for first place with Indiana's Karen Dennison.
Following Big Ten competition, Hanna, Knowlton and White were three of six players from the conference named first team All-Big Ten. It was the second honor for Hanna and White and the first for Knowlton. More hardware came for the Buckeyes when White was dubbed Big Ten Player of the Year and Hession was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, her fifth such honor.
The Buckeyes had a week off before heading west to Tempe, Ariz., site of the 2003 NCAA West Regional. OSU tied for fifth at the tournament and was included in the Top 8 which moved on to the NCAA Championships. Five of the Top 6 at the NCAA championships came from the west regional.
In addition to the wealth of excellence on the golf course, Hession's Buckeyes continued to display excellence in the classroom. White and Erin Borowiec were named National Golf Coaches Association Academic All-Americans. Seven members of the squad also were awarded with Academic All-Big Ten honors. Freshman Brittany Adams also joined the group of seven as OSU Scholar-Athletes.
"I am really proud of what they accomplished last year," Hession said. "I am not going to rest on those laurels and I don't think our team is the type that would rest on that either. They are going to say 'that's great' but we want to move on and do even better next year. They are going to want to improve."
Ohio State will kick off the 2003-04 season at the NCAA Fall Preview Sept. 12-14 in Auburn, Ala. In the meantime, the Buckeyes continue to turn their weaknesses into strengths.
"Knowing we can win is a huge confidence builder for this season," Hanna said. "We will continue to work on our weaknesses."
Auburn also will be the site of the 2004 NCAA Championships in May. Ohio State will play host to the Lady Northern Invitational on the University Scarlet Course Sept. 27-28 and to the 2004 Big Ten Championships April 23-25.
