Five familiar faces departed from Gophers women’s golf last season, leaving vacancies for almost an entirely new starting lineup and a head coach.
Three graduate students and one senior from the starting five concluded their college careers, while head coach Rhyll Brinsmead retired. Sophomore Isabella McCauley was the lone starter to remain, and the program named former assistant coach Matt Higgins the team’s head coach in the spring.
Despite losing lots of old leadership, Higgins said he looks forward to retaining most of the team in the coming years with the new players.
“We have a really strong roster going forward,” Higgins said. “That’s what excites me.”
Four of the five Gophers in the lineup at the season-opening Boilermaker Classic were underclassmen. Reese McCauley, Isabella’s sister, made her Gopher debut alongside freshman Jordana Windhorst-Knudsen.
Even though over half of the team is underclassmen, sophomore Luisamariana Mesones said the team is still very experienced. She added that playing at the Division I level comes with nerves, but once new players get a few rounds under their belt, the nervous energy dissipates.
The young squad placed second at the Boilermaker Classic in West Lafayette, Indiana on Sept. 3. Isabella McCauley and Mesones finished in the top 10.
The Gophers finished ninth at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate in Lake Elmo on Wednesday, their best in program history at the tournament. Isabella McCauley tied for fourth place while Mesones tied for 16th.
Higgins praised the ANNIKA tournament’s high level of talent and said the team’s finish proves their hard work is paying off.
“I think being a newer team, as far as the new starters, I think they’re really starting to gel and really starting to practice and play well together,” Higgins said. “They’re having fun, which is something that is really making a huge difference”
Isabella said it was strange adjusting to being part of the oldest class on the team, but leadership is not limited to the upperclassmen and younger athletes can demonstrate it as well.
“I think leadership is something that can be, especially in a group this small, exemplified by everyone,” Isabella said. “I think everyone’s doing a really good job playing a leadership role.”
Higgins said the smaller rosters in golf help the athletes build strong relationships with each other. Mesones said long hours of travel, practices and tournaments also help.
The Gophers will fly to their next tournament, the Mary Fossum Invitational, in East Lansing, Michigan.
Off the course, Mesones and Reese McCauley said they spend a lot of time getting their nails done or shopping. Reese McCauley added that most of their conversations are not about golf, and their relationships run deeper than the sport.
Connection is not exclusive to the players. Higgins said the reason he coaches is to build strong relationships and make an impact on student athletes’ lives.
Higgins has already done that with Resse McCauley, who is still learning how to improve her mental game on the fairway.
“I’ll just get in my own head and then the second he comes out, he just calms me down,” Reese McCauley said.
Mesones said the Higgins and McCauley families have been welcoming to her and that they helped with her transition back to Minnesota.
Mesones returned to the lineup this fall after taking a gap year. She said even though she was not physically with the team, she remained in contact and stayed updated on their results.
“I created a family relationship my freshman year,” Mesones said. “So I always say that Minnesota is my second home.”
Higgins said everyone adds a unique aspect to the team’s culture. As a new coach, he said he wants to promote positivity and continue to add to the team’s culture.