Transitioning from the fall campaign to the spring season is never easy for a college golf team in northern Indiana, and that certainly rang true for Holy Cross women’s golf in 2025. The Saints couldn’t get out and play competitively at all in March, giving them less than three weeks between their first tournament of the spring and the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament.
“It was pretty intense on the athletes, but I think they rose to the occasion of having a bunch of tournaments back to back and some really bad weather,” program alumna and head coach Abby Clark said. “Spring is always rough — people are rusty, it takes a while to get back into the hang of things, but I’m super proud of how they played at our first couple tournaments.”
Before the spring season started, the Saints also lost their only upperclassman, meaning they entered play in April with three freshmen and two sophomores. Although no single leader emerged, as Clark put it, everyone stepped up in their own way.
The young Saints came together during their spring break, traveling down to the Dallas area to stay with a host family. There, they had an outstanding experience at the Tour 18 course, playing in warm conditions and receiving advice from a course pro who had once played women’s golf at the collegiate level.
“It was a blast,” Clark recalled. “It was great weather, and it kind of helped the players see that this could lead to something, because they’re still only freshmen and sophomores. They’re just beginning this college golf career, not really knowing what this could mean or what this could lead to.”
As the spring season got moving, Clark worked with her golfers on their ability to slow the game down and make critical decisions.
“That’s sometimes hard when it’s really cold out there and we’re playing a six-hour round of golf, and there’s sleet, your socks are wet and you’re just trying to get through the day,” Clark described. “It’s hard to think, ‘Okay, let me take my time and actually plan out this shot.’”
Once the team began to live by that approach, they found improved results. Freshman Jill Daniels led off the spring with a second-place overall finish at the St. Xavier Battle at the Creek. Classmate Bianca Huizar picked up a fifth-place finish at one point during the spring as well.
“I saw their minds working,” Clark said. “If I was behind them for a shot, they were walking me through their plan, a great pre-shot routine, making sure they were analyzing everything that went into that shot. Where’s the smart landing zone? Where’s my trouble? How do I avoid this? Being more aggressive with the pin?”
The Saints would ultimately finish fourth out of five teams at the CCAC Tournament. Daniels tied for second in the first postseason competition of her career, while Huizar scored an eighth-place finish.
“Top-10 finishes are just really what we’re searching for, and with these players being freshmen, they’re the new faces of this new era in Holy Cross golf, and I’m just super excited for everything that’s to come,” Clark said.
