Three seems to be a magic number for the Saint Mary's golf team. The Belles are currently ranked third in the nation among Division-III women's golf programs. In two weeks the team will travel to North Carolina to compete in their third consecutive NCAA Championship tournament. And a big part of what has made the program so successful in recent years is the trio of seniors who will compete in their final college tournament at the up-coming event.
For Stefanie Simmerman, Chrissy Dunham and Julia Adams, the prospect of a national title could not have been further from mind when the three became part of the Saint Mary's golf program as freshmen. For Simmerman, who was amidst talks with Division-I schools during her senior year of high school, there was never any question as to whether she would play golf in college. Her dad got her started in golf and had helped with her college search, and she credits him in large part for the success she has had.
"He was always there to encourage me," Simmerman said. "In junior tournaments, I didn't even know what club to hit, so he would give me signals to tell."
Being the daughter of a Saint Mary's alum, Simmerman says the idea of playing for the Belles was always on the back of her mind, and weekly telephone calls from the former coach of the team seemed to help persuade the Phoenix, Ariz., native to come to South Bend.
The deal was finally sealed when Simmerman came out for a recruiting trip and got to know the Saint Mary's community. She knew she wanted to play college golf, but had no major expectations for what would come of it.
"I knew I wanted to play golf, and Saint Mary's had a team," Simmerman said. "We weren't the best in the division at that point, but the girls that joined brought the team to nationals."
Two of those players were Dunham and Adams. Dunham, who came to Saint Mary's from Columbus, Ohio and for the second consecutive year is captain of the nationally-ranked team, expected little more than perhaps a conference championship by the time she graduated when she entered as a freshman.
Her first trip to the NCAA Championships as a sophomore completely changed her outlook on the program.
"What was great about [nationals] was that no one had any expectations of us," Dunham said. "Since then, we've had to continue to work hard and dedicate ourselves, to continue to raise our standards and to keep pushing to get better."
Adams, who came to South Bend from Peoria, Ill., completes the trio that has helped turn Belles golf into a powerhouse. For her, golf was of small consequence when applying to schools, and it was a random run-in with the coach when Adams attended Accepted Students Day that resulted in her joining the team as a freshman.
"I didn't know anything about college golf at the time," Adams said. "I just wanted to have fun and play."
Competing in a national tournament was not at all on her mind.
"Even my second year, I didn't realize how much of a possibility it was," she said. "I'm still in shock [about] how far we've come."
Chemistry seems to be what has made these three women work so well together for four years - chemistry between them, with the other members of the team and especially with head coach Mark Hamilton, who came into his current position one year after Dunham, Simmerman and Adams arrived at Saint Mary's.
Hamilton had never coached a women's team before.
"He kind of threw us a curve ball," Simmerman said.
But the golfers unanimously speak of their coach as an incredible asset to their personal improvement, as well as the Saint Mary's golf program in general. Hamilton has found the perfect opportunity in a group of golfers who have been consistently willing to put forth the dedication necessary to come as far as they have, and he has used all his resources to help get them there.
"Mark has dedicated a significant amount of his life to helping us improve," Dunham said. "He knows that we want to put in the time and effort ... that's why he makes a point to be supportive and make time for us."
Adams and Simmerman only reiterate the words of praise that Dunham has for their coach. All three golfers contribute a large part of their success to the fact that Hamilton owns a golf store in town and has provided the facilities to practice, as well as his expertise in the field, all year-round.
"[Hamilton] has been an instructor, and he knows what he's talking about when it comes down to it," Simmerman said.
And he has been exactly the right coach to take the group of golfers to the next level in their careers.
Words are hardly enough for Simmerman, Dunham and Adams to describe the bond that has developed between the three women in the process of taking Saint Mary's golf to that new level. None of them seems to find exactly the right way to describe the experience they have gone through together.
"Being with that group of girls for that long of a time, there are no words to describe it," Simmerman said.
None of the seniors will shy away from the fact that they would like nothing more than to win a national championship on their way out. The girls have strived towards the goal all season, knowing that it is not an unrealistic one. Although any finish in the top four would be considered respectable for the program, for the three graduating seniors it would be especially nice to beat Depauw and to get Methodist out of their number one spot.
"It would be the most amazing thing ever [to win the title]," Dunham said. "Because we've worked so hard and we've improved so much ... it's something we could definitely achieve, and it would mean the world to all of us."
With the mindset these three women have, a national title should be entirely within reach. The three golfers have helped to take Saint Mary's golf from a mediocre program which aroused few expectations to a major national contender. Certainly it is within their capabilities to close the deal and bring home the championship, provided they play the right golf at the right time. And all three golfers are prepared to do exactly that.
"That's what it's all about, peaking at the right time," Simmerman said.
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