Indiana University Athletics
Belief Continues To Fuel IU at Regional
5/4/2016 4:08:00 PM | Women's Golf
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Indiana women's golf heads into the NCAA Regional as a bit of an underdog, maybe even a little under the radar.
The Hoosiers are seeded No. 14 in the field of 18 teams playing Thursday through Saturday at the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas. The top six will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, to compete for a national title in two weeks.
The quickest way to get there is to win the tournament, and that's exactly what Indiana head coach Clint Wallman said his team has to have the intent to do. They've already surpassed their own expectations this season getting to where they are, and Wallman sees no reason to stop now.
"This team is very, very special and I think they are very good," Wallman said. "I think they are underrated and I think some of that has been done on their own where they haven't thought they're as good as they could be. That obviously has changed because they started believing and they started playing really well."
In their last competitive match, the Hoosiers finished in seventh place at the Big Ten Championships behind a steady group of four players in the top 25. That consistency through the lineup has been a catalyst in Indiana's climb into the NCAA Tournament, which freshman Erin Harper said really got moving at the beginning of March when IU finished fourth at the competitive Bay Area Intercollegiate.
"I think that's where we all started to believe in each other that we could compete against anybody," Harper said.
Come Thursday's opening round, Wallman said all he'll want his players worrying about competing against is the course. He doesn't want his athletes to start looking at the scoreboards at the risk of falling into a trap of playing for sixth place to get out of the Regional.
The course itself, home to Texas A&M, is a Jack Nicklaus design, which Wallman said tells you all you need to know about the layout. It'll reward finding fairways and playing station-to-station golf and penalize players who miss greens and are forced to scramble for pars.
That type of playing style fits into Wallman's system, aligning with Indiana's "What's my target?" mantra they've talked about over and over again throughout the season. If IU's golfers can focus on their target and stay out of trouble, Wallman said the Hoosiers should have success.
"They understand what it takes on the mental side," Wallman said, "which sets the table to go eat dinner."
Senior Camille Chevelier, juniors Ana Sanjuan and Theresa-Ann Jedra, sophomore Alix Kong and Harper make up Indiana's lineup in Texas.
At this stage in the season, getting out of the Regional round will likely require a couple of players throwing down low scores with the rest not far behind. Based on the way the five golfers have been playing lately, Harper said it could be any of them leading the charge come Saturday afternoon.
"We feel like we've got a shot," Harper said. "We feel like if we go out and play to our potential, we can make it out and keep going. Definitely we can"
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Indiana women's golf heads into the NCAA Regional as a bit of an underdog, maybe even a little under the radar.
The Hoosiers are seeded No. 14 in the field of 18 teams playing Thursday through Saturday at the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas. The top six will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, to compete for a national title in two weeks.
The quickest way to get there is to win the tournament, and that's exactly what Indiana head coach Clint Wallman said his team has to have the intent to do. They've already surpassed their own expectations this season getting to where they are, and Wallman sees no reason to stop now.
"This team is very, very special and I think they are very good," Wallman said. "I think they are underrated and I think some of that has been done on their own where they haven't thought they're as good as they could be. That obviously has changed because they started believing and they started playing really well."
In their last competitive match, the Hoosiers finished in seventh place at the Big Ten Championships behind a steady group of four players in the top 25. That consistency through the lineup has been a catalyst in Indiana's climb into the NCAA Tournament, which freshman Erin Harper said really got moving at the beginning of March when IU finished fourth at the competitive Bay Area Intercollegiate.
"I think that's where we all started to believe in each other that we could compete against anybody," Harper said.
Come Thursday's opening round, Wallman said all he'll want his players worrying about competing against is the course. He doesn't want his athletes to start looking at the scoreboards at the risk of falling into a trap of playing for sixth place to get out of the Regional.
The course itself, home to Texas A&M, is a Jack Nicklaus design, which Wallman said tells you all you need to know about the layout. It'll reward finding fairways and playing station-to-station golf and penalize players who miss greens and are forced to scramble for pars.
That type of playing style fits into Wallman's system, aligning with Indiana's "What's my target?" mantra they've talked about over and over again throughout the season. If IU's golfers can focus on their target and stay out of trouble, Wallman said the Hoosiers should have success.
"They understand what it takes on the mental side," Wallman said, "which sets the table to go eat dinner."
Senior Camille Chevelier, juniors Ana Sanjuan and Theresa-Ann Jedra, sophomore Alix Kong and Harper make up Indiana's lineup in Texas.
At this stage in the season, getting out of the Regional round will likely require a couple of players throwing down low scores with the rest not far behind. Based on the way the five golfers have been playing lately, Harper said it could be any of them leading the charge come Saturday afternoon.
"We feel like we've got a shot," Harper said. "We feel like if we go out and play to our potential, we can make it out and keep going. Definitely we can"
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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