Despite a seventh place finish in its first ACC Championship tournament, the Virginia women's golf team's inaugural season proved to be a learning experience for future success.
The Cavaliers faced stiff competition in the tournament, with three of the seven teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation, including defending national champion and No. 1 seed Duke, whose total score of 838 (-14) made for a runaway victory.
Virginia moved into sixth place after the second round of the tournament but slipped in the third round, shooting a 304 (+20) to fall behind Maryland.
"In golf you're not competing against another team, you're competing against the golf course," coach Jan Mann said. Maryland "had their best round ever and best tournament ever. We didn't play poorly -- they played fantastic."
As for the players, they said they were happy with their overall play and were just glad to be a part of their first ACC championships. The Cavaliers could not be disappointed with their performance, finishing with their lowest three-day total (915) of the season.
Freshman Leah Wigger led the Cavaliers with a total of 217 (+4) for the tournament, to tie for 11th place. Wigger attributed her outstanding play to withstanding the pressure of the ACCs and a change in her normal routine.
"Just about a week before the ACCs, I changed my pre-shot routine," Wigger said. "It helped me mentally to focus more on my target -- not to focus on the mechanics of my swing but to visualize the shot."
The tournament could be the conclusion of the Cavaliers' season, as they wait to hear if they received an invitation to the NCAA Regionals. Regardless of whether they continue on, the Virginia players learned valuable lessons they plan to put to use next season.
"I think the thing that was lacking somewhat was that we didn't have the upperclassman who the freshman could depend on in a tournament situation," Mann said.
She added that every one of her players improved from fall to spring, especially freshman Lindsay Robinson who was a real contributor in the spring season. The six freshmen on the team will return to compete in the fall with a newfound confidence and experience they gained over the course of the year.
This season the Cavaliers proved that they belonged in the varsity level of competition. The first year program was ranked No. 17 of 110 schools in the East Region by GolfWeek. Next year, however, they aim to compete against the ACC's finest armed with the team camaraderie and tournament experience they built this season.
"In the team's future, I definitely see us winning even more, especially with the addition of our recruits next year," Wigger said. "I think definitely, by my senior year -- maybe my junior year -- we will be competing for the ACC championship."
Regardless of whether they go on to play in the postseason, this season the Cavaliers set the foundation for a strong Division I golf program.
"This team had expectations of going to the NCAA Regionals and we won't know [if we will compete] until April 26 -- at best we have an outside chance," Mann said. "We are a first-year program and being considered for the NCAAs is an honor. [The team] played with a tremendous amount of heart, and there is no doubt in my mind that next year they will be a force to be reckoned with"
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