This season of Reagan women’s golf has been one of the most successful to date. The team’s hard work has been apparent in the results of the matches: a new school record, a clean sweep in their conference matches, and having three of the four top players in the county are a few of the accomplishments achieved by the team.

With 12 girls, the team is larger than it has been in the past.  

“It worked out great,” said coach Jay Allred. “With so many players on the team, additional events were booked, and different combinations of teams were able to play in non-conference matches.”

This year, the team focused more on stamina and endurance during practices instead of solely training skills. The girls all played more rounds of golf, and the top players practiced from men’s tees in order for them to get used to playing longer.

“We thought we’d change it up some this year,” Allred said. “In the past they’ve developed skills, but they haven’t been as effective when playing.”

Madison Wondra, a senior captain on the team, believes that the work that was put into the season was the most important factor to the team’s success.

“We made it a goal of ours to push each other physically and mentally, and to focus the whole time on being the best we can be,” Wondra said. “Our hands may hurt and our feet may ache, but we remind each other that it’s worth it.”

A factor that was just as important as the worth ethic of the members was the bond between them, as the girls are pushed by their coaches and each other to grow and progress.

“We have a mutual respect for one another,” Allred said. “The coaches expect them to show up and practice hard and efficiently, and they expect the same from us.”

All of the hard work by the team brought excellent rewards for the girls. Winning all of their conference matches, the team set a new record for the school by shooting a 4-under par 107. Of the top four players in the CPC, three came from Reagan: junior Mary Slade White, junior Haylie Paulin, and sophomore Sasha Hayes.

In addition, Hayes was selected as the CPC Player of the Year. In her fifth year of competitive golfing, Hayes continues to excel, hoping to play golf in college and later play professionally. This is her first year at Reagan, as she has been homeschooled for the last three years.

“It’s all from work and experience,” Hayes said. “I’m very happy to be chosen as Player of the Year and to see that my hard work has been acknowledged.”

As the team looks forward to the next season, hopes and standards are high. While becoming better golfers and winning the championships is consistently a goal to strive for, Allred believes one of the most important goals is to have a confident team.

“First and foremost, I want everyone to have fun, a sense of belonging, to feel good about themselves regardless of what scores they post and for all of the team to develop into even better golfers,” Allred said. “If we can accomplish that, then winning the championships will take care of itself.”