Nearly a year after their season was cut short due to COVID-19, the Bradley women’s golf team is finally on the verge of competing once again.
The first tournament of the condensed 2021 spring campaign will be held in Jacksonville, Florida, at the First Coast Classic from Feb. 15 to Feb. 16.
The First Coast Classic will be the first of three tournaments on Bradley’s schedule before the season culminates with the Missouri Valley Conference Championship on April 19 and 20.
After months of uncertainty, head coach Halley Morell is grateful to be able to compete this spring.
“Whether we’re practicing, competing or doing a workout, we really appreciate it for what it is and treating it like it could be our last,” Morell said. “We are just trying to live in the moment and enjoy and be grateful for every single day we have.”
The team’s roster for the 2021 spring season includes three incoming freshmen, all of which are from outside of the United States.
So far, Harriet Barker of Cumbia, England, Vaijayanti Bharkhada of Ontario, Canada and Zeynep Ergelmis of Istanbul, Turkey are “integrating pretty well” with the returning Braves, according to Morell.
“We were able to have two of them on campus in the fall,” Morell said. “They were able to get their visas and everything and come over. One of the freshmen was not able to get her visa due to COVID restrictions so she joined the team in January.”
Among the returning Braves is senior Maddie Hawkins, who averaged a score of 77.24 per 18 holes last season and played in all but one tournament. The veteran looks forward to competing as a team in the upcoming months.
“I think we’re ready, we’ve been doing really well at practice but I think our goal is to have fun,” Hawkins said. “For the five of us to go out and encourage each other and compete for each other, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The Braves also return four-time all-MVC recipient, senior Taylor Ledwein, who has led the team in stroke average the last two seasons. Additionally, sophomores Megan Welch, Elyse Emerizan and Sarah Nacos will provide more veteran experience.
Gearing up for an unusual season, the Bradley women’s golf team looks to gain early momentum with a strong performance in the First Coast Classic.
“Follow us along and root us on,” Morell said. “We will keep working hard and hopefully move towards that conference title at the end of the year.”
