The team was runner-up at the Shenandoah & Bridgewater invitationals.
Women’s Golf showcases their awards from the Bridgewater Invitational via the VWU Golf Instagram.
Virginia Wesleyan University Women’s Golf team is off to a hot start this season, with two second-place finishes, one at the Shenandoah Invitational and another at the Bridgewater Invitational. Junior Juliette Coffey has excelled, breaking the Virginia Wesleyan 18-hole individual record in round one of the Bridgewater Invitational, a record she set last season at the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA) Invitational. Coffey finished runner-up in both tournaments.
Before the Shenandoah Invitational, both the team and Coffey kept expectations low. “I just wanted to shoot somewhere in the 70s and hopefully be in the top 10,” Coffey said. Despite the low expectations, VWU excelled. Coffey, who shot 75 in both rounds with 6 birdies, led the Marlins. Emily Stedam, who shot 84 and 75, followed closely.
Despite such success, the Marlins are still hungry for more. “I think we’re all still trying to figure out how we’re placing and we all know we can do better than last time. We’re feeling okay, but we know we can be better,” Coffey said.
At the Bridgewater Invitational, the Marlins ended up breaking three records. Coffey broke her own record and the team broke two records as well: the 18-hole team record and the 36-hole team record on day two.
On day one, the team shot a 317 to take the record. On day two, the Marlins capitalized on the momentum and shot 315, clinching the 36-hole record with a total of 632.
This year, the team has a split of five freshmen and five juniors. “We’ve had five people around here for the past couple of years and this year, we’ve got five freshmen, so I’m excited to see how that’ll impact our scores,” Coffey said. “We’ve already shot lower than we ever have at our past tournament as a team, so that was really great to see. I’m excited to see how it goes,” Coffey said.
Golf incorporates both individual and team elements. “Everyone’s trying to play individually, but at the same time, every shot matters for your team. You want your team to do well. You want your team to be third place, second place,” Coffey said. She said it’s interesting to play with both of these things in mind “but in the end, it’s just making you play better.”
Even with such a good start, it’s important for the Marlins to not get ahead of themselves. “It’s easy to blow up in golf … I’m just trying to make sure that I keep it steady and not put so much pressure on myself … I want to place well. I want to do well, but [I’m] just playing my game,” Coffey said.
Last year, Coffey finished top 10 in the championship tournament, and two years ago, she finished as the champion. She hopes to replicate that success. “I’ve been on the ODAC third team twice already, but it’d be nice to move my way up and make second team or maybe first team,” she said. “ODAC champion is a difficult title to obtain, so it’d be nice to do it again, but we’ll see if I have it in me this year. It just really depends on how you’re playing in those couple of days, because every tournament is different.”
Now with some momentum behind them, the Marlins have three more tournaments left in the fall. Once spring season rolls around, all eyes will turn to the coveted ODAC championship.
By: Roman Foster & Eli Casey
rdfoster1@vwu.edu
emcasey@vwu.edu