Press Release
9/14 - Bruins Look Back with Fondness to First Women's Golf Season
NEWBERG, Ore. - A new season is just over a week away for the George Fox University women's golf team, which will be playing only its second varsity season, and the coach of the Bruins' newest program, MaryJo McCloskey, looks back with pride at her team's accomplishments over their first season in 2006-07.
The Bruins finished seventh in the Northwest Conference out of nine teams and had one player finish in the top ten (ninth) in the Conference Championship.
"I was excited for our first year and all that we did," McCloskey said. "We had just four players, so there were times when it was really difficult because we were occasionally short of being able to complete a team score due to an illness or some overlapping of basketball season with golf. Two of our players were also on the GFU women's basketball team which won the conference title and went to the NCAA playoffs.
"Our women's basketball team was rated fifth in the conference going into their season, and originally I didn't think I needed to worry about them going on for post-season play into March. That was before I met Robin Taylor, who was a starting guard and a First Team All-Conference player for the Bruins.
"Robin came to me as a senior and wanted to get into the game of golf. She really didn't have the experience to compete, but I saw her dedication and her willingness to learn, as well as her amazing leadership skills, and I realized that she would be a great addition to this first team at George Fox. What I didn't realize was just how inspirational she would be for the girls in the end. She had several tough rounds, but she never gave up. At her final tournament, the Conference Championship, she passed some players on the scoreboard, and some parents and players from other schools were cheering her on. It was so great to see a well-deserved finish for Robin, and the team definitely learned from her 'never give up' attitude."
First-year student Whitney Clunes completed a great rookie season by finishing in the top ten in the conference and capturing medalist honors in a dual tournament against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Phoenix, Ariz., in March. Sophomore Christine Collier and junior Nicole Hudson, another member of the Bruins' basketball team, had some great one-day performances but were inconsistent in the two-day events.
"Christine and Nicole had been away from competitive golf for awhile when they came to George Fox," noted McCloskey. "Now they are working on improving their consistency with short game drills and course management work. They are also looking forward to taking on leadership roles in the future."
In talking about her first season, McCloskey beamed as she declared, "I couldn't have asked for a better first year and team. We received $12,000 from the Brian Henninger Foundation, and we had a ton of community and campus support. We were just this small team of four players, yet every one cared; even our president checked in to see how we were doing. It was truly amazing! "
The new team had several great trips during the year, including a five-day trip to Phoenix during spring break in March. "As a non-scholarship team, the most important thing to me is that the girls have fun, enjoy the game and each other, and have a memorable time doing it," said McCloskey. "At the tournament, several people from the area came out and asked who was playing, and they ended up rooting for our Oregon team."
One of the highlights of the trip was the appearance of Whitney Clunes' grandfather, who lives in the Phoenix area, to watch his granddaughter play, then serenading the team with his bagpipes at the team's barbecue event. The other players also had parents who came out and followed their daughters at various tournaments throughout the year.
"It was sunny but a bit chilly the first day at the Conference Championship at Aspen Lakes," McCloskey recalled, "but the parents stayed out there with their hats, scarves, and mittens and rooted our team on.
Remembering the season with satisfaction, McCloskey concluded, "The inaugural year was great, but we are now ready and excited to move into our second season. With three out of four players returning, our goal is to continue the momentum and build upon the foundation we started."
The first fall event for the team will be Sunday, Sept. 23, in the Pacific 5-Way Tournament at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks, Ore.