By Beth Mechum
Staff Writer
High school women’s golf in Orange County finally found a home last year where the players could feel comfortable.
Because East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill highs were the only women’s golf teams in the PAC-6 conference and Carrboro High and Northwood were the only teams in the Mid-State 2-A, the four schools decided to form their own conference, and this year will be joined by Cardinal Gibbons. That makes women’s golf the only sport where all three high schools in Orange County compete for a conference crown.
And Jim Williams, the coach of CHHS, said having those all-conference honors to work for have really motivated his team, plus the structure a conference provides encourages his team to succeed.
Brenda Leeper of CHS agrees that the stability a conference offers positively affects her team.
“I think that it really helps the girls to have a consistent base of competition from which to measure themselves,†Leeper said.
Carrboro High School
The Jaguars have inexperience and youth working against them this year. But Coach Leeper actually sees the small size of the team – only three players – as an asset.
“The one nice thing about having a smaller team is that I’ll have more time to give them more attention,†Leeper said.
Carrboro’s team might be solely comprised of golf novices, but that means there is only room for improvement, and Leeper said she’s already seen upward progress in this year’s practices, as the girl’s have had a year to acclimate themselves to golf’s ins and outs.
“I think golf is a tough sport to come into because you can’t ease into it and play a minute or two, you have to play all the holes and see it all through,†Leeper said. “It can be kind of grueling if you’re not hitting the ball well, and I think they’ve learned a lot about themselves through their perseverance in sticking to the game.â€
Last year’s record: Finished last in the conference.
Who’s gone: Julia Holt graduated last year and her leadership will be missed.
Who’s here: Caitlyn Threadgill is the only player from last year’s team who made it to the regionals, and Leeper said
Threadgill has already shown she’s ready to go back again this year.
Match of the season: Leeper said she and the girls look forward to each conference match, because it allows them to see how much they’ve improved.
Expectations: Leeper said she’s already pleased with the progress she’s seen and all she can say in regards to expectations is that she expects them to keep improving.
Chapel Hill High School
Jim Williams, last year’s conference coach of the year, said the most memorable moment last year was at the regionals at Whispering Pines Golf Course in Pinehurst, where his players huddled together excitedly waiting to see if the team as a whole could move on to the state championships.
When they learned they had advanced, the girls let out an excited yell, and Williams is hoping a similar version of that experience will occur this year.
The Tigers went on to place 11th in the state championships, but will be missing a vital member of last year’s team, with the graduation of Michelle Ahn.
“We’ve always had a fairly strong team,†Williams said. “… From what I’ve seen of them throughout the summer, they’ve been improving, and it’s going to be interesting to see how well we can do.â€
Last year’s record: Won regular season conference title.
Who’s gone: Ahn was the superstar of last year’s team. She graduated and is now on the golf team at UNC. CHHS will miss her leadership as well as her skill, as conference golfer of the year.
Who’s here: CHHS has two all-conference members returning in Emma Marlatt and Caroline Jones.
Match of the season: Williams said the conference matches are always important, but the girls look forward to playing Green Hope the most because the school is a golf powerhouse and many of the CHHS golfers have been coached by Green Hope’s Coach Donna Lerner at golf courses in the area.
Expectations: “My expectations are that we are going to have a team of gals that really likes being together and traveling to matches and going to practices,†Williams said. “We are going to do our best to pull our games up, so that we can be as successful as we were last year when we had our superstar with us.â€
East Chapel Hill High
East Chapel Hill coach Henry Essey said it’s consistency that’s plagued his team in the past, and that consistency is something he’s hoping the girls will improve on this season.
“One player, Mackie Kennihan, a junior, was really good last year, and the others around her had their good and bad days,†Essey said.
Mackie Kennihan, the only all-conference player on last year’s team, is back this year, along with four other seniors, so the Wildcats will not be lacking in experience.
Essey said only time will tell how consistent they can be.
Last year’s record: Finished third in the conference.
Who’s gone: Essey said there were no critical graduations to speak of.
Who’s here: Kennihan is expected to make it back to the state championships and Elizabeth Peel is due for a breakout year.
Match of the season: Chapel Hill High, for bragging rights over the city.
Expectations: “I’m hoping to have a competitive, consistent year, and certainly Mackie will be our leader in that,†Essey said.
Seeking golfers
The women’s golf team at Carrboro High School is in need of members. Anyone interested should contact Brenda Leeper at MBLeeper@aol.com or call 942-4872.