On the golf team, there are no individuals.
In a sport that could easily be described as independent, the Belles insist they aren't a group of individual players -they are a team.
"On any given day, I know someone's going to pull through and shoot a good number," senior captain Chrissy Dunham said. "Everyone is really focused and determined to play well this year."
At Saturday's Tri-State meet, Dunham said the Belles displayed a true team effort. Saint Mary's captured the tournament title with a team score of 321 strokes with its closest challenger was Albion at 335 strokes. Coach Mark Hamilton said he was overall satisfied with the team's performance.
"We weren't firing on all cylinders, but we had some decent scores," Hamilton said. "We had a few bad holes, but overall we had a pretty solid team. It was a big improvement from the week before. The girls just took care of business and got the team back on track."
Senior Stefanie Simmerman led the Belles' effort as the meet's medalist, registering a score of 74 shots.
Dunham credits the hours Simmerman has put into practicing her putting for her success at the meet.
"She's been spending a lot of time this week practicing her short game and she's been working really hard," Dunham said. "Everyone has been really focused and determined to play well this year."
Simmerman's teammates were not far behind in scoring. Junior Julia Adams and Dunham fired a score of 81 shots, juniors Nicole Bellino and Megan Mattia followed with 85 shots, juniors Erin McQueen and Kirsten Fantom each shot an 88, and freshman Katie O'Brien rounded out the Belles' effort with a 91.
Both Dunham and Hamilton described this meet as a crucial one for the team. They finished second out of nine teams with a team score of 340 at the Kalamazoo meet Sept. 22.
Since then, the Belles have continued to focus on their short games, refining their putting and chipping.
"We were putting better and staying away from good numbers, and that was good to see," Hamilton said. "This meet helped us get our confidence back and helped us shoot the scores we know we can shoot."
