NO. 14 BLINN WOMEN’S GOLF BEGINNING SPRING SEASON

Following an historic fall season, the Blinn College women’s golf team is hoping to raise the bar even higher this spring.

Blinn, ranked 14th as a team in the NJCAA/Golfstat.com poll, are looking to build on three consecutive tournament victories which capped 2022.

“The women had a great fall season, and we don’t expect anything less out of them this spring,” Buccaneers head coach David Johnson said. “I think the women are ready to play; they’ve had a great month or so of practice this semester to get ready for the season, and they’re all ready to get out there and play competitive rounds.”

Competitive is exactly what Blinn was during the fall, earning its first-ever team win when it captured the Jacksonville Tomato Bowl Classic in late September. The Bucs followed that performance up with at the University of Houston-Victoria Fall Invitational in mid-October and another first-place showing at the Hesston College Thorntree Throwdown to end the fall. 

Along with the three team triumphs, three Buccaneers earned individual wins during that stretch. Sophomore Holly Paterson and freshman Emily Madeley return for the spring after both won a tournament for Blinn.

“In the fall, we had a great top five who put their best foot forward and put their best scores together consistently,” said Paterson. “We stayed positive, we pushed through, and we didn’t quit. Everyone can shoot low and can play a good game of golf, so there’s plenty to be excited about going into the spring.”

Paterson and sophomore Yulisa Espinosa are the only returning golfers from Blinn’s 2021-22 squad, but the Bucs have already capitalized on a talented freshman class. Along with Madeley, Cailey Nuckolls, Natalie Peebles, Kimberly Tiefenbach, and Krista Vasquez round out the first-year Bucs.

“The freshmen are really good this year,” said Paterson. “I was super proud of them during the fall because they adjusted to college golf very quickly. I remember during my freshman season last year, it was pretty scary heading into my first collegiate season, but these freshmen adapted, stepped up, and we won together.”

Paterson was Blinn’s lone qualifier for the NJCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship in 2022, but she’s hopeful a few more Bucs will punch their ticket for the national tournament this spring.

“To go to nationals my freshman year was great, and it’s good because I know what to expect now and I know what it takes to get there, so in a lot of ways I can help lead our freshman down that path,” Paterson said. “We have the ability and talent to do it, we just need to put in the work to get there, and I’m going to push my teammates as much as possible to get there.”

The Buccaneers will play four regular-season tournaments this spring, including the Blinn Spring Invitational on Monday, April 3, at the Brenham Country Club. They will also compete for a berth at the national tournament at the NJCAA South District Meet on Monday, April 10, at the Cross Creek Golf Course in Cullman, Alabama.

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information