A year ago, Southwestern women's golf opened the season on fire, winning three of its first four events and finishing second in three others before the season was canceled.
The season was supposed to be a passing of the torch, sending off two seniors who helped reestablish the program as back-to-back conference champions and finished as the program's top two career scoring leaders, while providing valuable experience to a talented new group of players.
Instead, the past year has become an extended practice finally coming to an end.
"It's been a challenge. We got to practice last semester, but we weren't able to compete," head coach Greg Sigler said. "It was difficult trying to keep practices fresh and challenging. Now, we've finally had some qualifying rounds, and we're well-prepared for this tournament, just over a year since our last competition."
Southwestern last competed on March 2, 2020, finishing the SCAC Preview in second place, just one stroke behind Trinity University at 652-653. The Pirates open this season as they ended last, sitting just behind Trinity. The Tigers were ranked 25th in the NCAA Division III WGCA Coaches Poll, while the Pirates finished just outside.
Though the Pirates don't have a single golfer who has competed in the SCAC Championships, Sigler expects the team to compete for its third consecutive title.
"Last year, we had a lot of first-years who had good results and played really well for us," Sigler said. "Our top five heading into this opening tournament are three sophomores, a first-year, and a junior. Even though we're young, we still expect to give ourselves a chance to win tournaments."
The Pirates will be led by Madison Goldberg, a junior from Austin, Texas, and the lone upperclassman on the roster. Goldberg transferred to Southwestern last season after a year on the Texas Tech University golf team.
Goldberg posted the best single-season scoring average in program history, averaging 77.92 through 12 rounds, edging out program career leader Emily Campell's 2017-18 scoring average of 78.00.
"Madison is just a powerful player, one of the best I've seen," Sigler said. "She constantly works on her game and is very disciplined in her approach."
The Pirates also return Sarah Lucido, Linsey Garza, and Katherine Montgomery, who will all be in the Southwestern lineup for the season opener, along with Kaylee Cheek, Madison Miller, and Amanda Gale.
"They have a great work ethic. Just the way they go about practice ready to work," Sigler said. "They come out with a plan, and it's a good environment. They all have fun, but at the same time, they're all working on getting better. They all know we're trying to win tournaments and championships."
Southwestern also added freshmen, Mikayla Childers and Ryleigh Erickson, with the latter making the first cut to be in the Pirates' lineup to open the season.
"They both have great attitudes and have been very disciplined in their work," Sigler said. "They're very coachable, and the rest of the team has really taken them under their wing and helped them out on the golf course and in academics."
The Pirates compete today in the Schreiner Shootout held at Comanche Trace Golf Course in Kerrville, Texas.
"It's a fantastic golf course. It's pretty forgiving off the tees and greens, but you can't get careless," Sigler said. "It's hard to mimic those greens around here; we just don't have anything like that. So, we'll have to be really committed to what we're doing."
From there, they'll compete in the SCAC Preview at Vaaler Creek Golf Club from March 22-23.
"Most of our returners played there and performed well," Sigler said. "We're happy to get a few more rounds of experience, so come conference time, we'll really be prepared for the golf course."
Before the SCAC Championships, the Pirates will host the West Region Invitational at Berry Creek, where the Pirates hold their practices.
"I don't think anyone ever gets too comfortable with Berry Creek; it's a quirky course," Sigler said. "But they've figured some things out, they're adapting, and when we host it in April, it'll really pay off."
Though no one on the team has actually competed in a SCAC Championship, they are well-versed in the recipe for success.
"Just continue what we've been doing with discipline, structured practices," Sigler said. "I couldn't have asked for anything more in how they prepared. I'm excited to see how we react to a tournament environment."