October 9, 2014
Most Hamilton varsity sports teams have experienced significant transitions over the past three years, as moving to the NESCAC has presented a challenging jump in competition. However, none have faced quite the same circumstances as the women’s golf team, which did not even exist three years ago.
Having completed the fall portion of its third season, the program has undeniably made huge jumps both on and off the course. Simply looking at the results, the Continentals have benefited from fielding a full five-player team, as Hamilton competed all of the 2013-14 season with just four golfers. The quartet of Katie Veasey ’17, Liz Morris ’16, Anne Govern ’15 and Charlotte Chandler ’17 anchored the Continentals at all four tournaments this season, while Katie Steates ’15 and Katie Bishop ’16 also rounded out the roster.
Consequently, the ladies have notched program-best finishes at multiple tournaments, highlighted by a sixth-place finish at the Middlebury Invitational from Sept. 27-28 and a third-place showing at the William Smith Invitational from Sept. 20-21. The former result at Ralph Myhre Course in Middlebury was particularly impressive, as it marked the lowest cumulative score in program history and took place at one of the toughest venues in NESCAC competition.
Govern, an original member of the program, marvels at how far the team has risen in a brief span. “Two years ago when we started we were new to Hamilton and also to the NESCAC, so we were starting from scratch, trying to make a name for ourselves in the conference,” she says. “We’ve definitely developed as a team since then and have become a competitive member of the conference.”
Morris echoes Govern’s sentiments about how the team has raised its expectations internally, as the same core has had an opportunity to grow together. “I think a big part of our success this season was the higher expectations we had for ourselves. I think there was a firm belief on the team this fall that we can be doing better than we had been, and that we were going to work for it.”
Of course, despite its importance, attitude is only a single factor in the team-building equation. Experience has helped the coaches and players improve their routine and preparation for tournaments, something that has aided the team at a more practical level. For instance, Morris described how the team has revamped its practices to better simulate tournament situations and improve on-course awareness.
“A number of the drills that we practiced this fall focused on the small things that can make a big difference,” she described. “The putting drills that we worked on used different techniques that simulated tournament pressure; we’d have to make 10 short putts in a row, and looking at the 10th putt helped us practice making the short putt during a tournament. Short game drills emphasized chipping the ball close enough to make the ensuing putt. Additionally, I think the team was more aware of our strengths and weaknesses and used that to improve our course management. If our driver game wasn’t going well, but we felt confident with the longer irons and hybrids, we’d play to our longer irons.”
Those changes implemented by the players, head coaches Steve Stetson and Lauren Cupp and assistant coaches Paul Hagstrom and Robert Simon have resulted in numerous golfers setting career-lows this season. Veasey and Morris carded career-best 36-hole scores this season, with a 166 at Middlebury and a 176 at the St. Lawrence Invitational, respectively. Additionally, Govern had her best single-round score at the latter event, an 82 on Sept. 6.
Veasey, who won the program’s first home tournament last spring and shot the team’s lowest score in three out of four tournaments this fall, believes that the coaching has played in active role in growing the program. “This year, our practices were more targeted towards what we needed to improve on to prepare for the upcoming tournament,” she notes. “Our coaches have also been very active in recruiting, and we are anticipating that the team will grow greatly in the next few years. Overall, our team has an amazing dynamic and we all support each other to reach our highest potential.”
Of course, all this progress only matters if the program continues to grow, both in terms of improved results on the course and an increased presence off it. Thus, the next step for Hamilton entails consistently competing with and beating some of the top-ten-ranked Division III schools they have played against over the past three years. In seeking to establish themselves with the likes of Williams, Amherst and Middlebury, the Continentals have leveraged their improvement into securing a batch of new recruits.
Govern believes that the team’s growing reputation will allow Hamilton to rise to a top-ten ranking as soon as next season, explaining, “We’ve really developed from two years ago, when we wanted to do our best and finish the tournament, to now having clear goals of what we want to score and how we want to finish in the field…this year we’ve had multiple recruits who want to play for Hamilton next year, so it’s great to see that the team will be growing in the future.”
Those additions should help compensate for the losses of Govern and Steates, both of whom will be graduating. Moreover, the trio of Veasey, Morris and Chandler has provided a stable foundation for the past two years, and should do so once again as the first-years assimilate into the program next fall. Just as some of Hamilton’s other varsity squads are beginning to rise up the NESCAC hierarchy, Morris suggests that this team is about to reach another level in short order.
“I think the Fall 2015 season is going to be remarkable. We are going to be a team to watch. We’ve made huge strides in our first three years and the next three are going to hold big successes for us.”
Given how exponentially the team has improved in its short existence, it is clear they have not yet approached their ceiling. As the talentlevel, experience and confidence all take another leap forward, expect the women’s golf team to continue evolving into one of Division III’s premier programs.
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