Since its initial announcement in November 2023, the women’s golf program at Seattle Pacific University has finally begun its inaugural season after two postponements and a nearly four-month-long search for a head coach.
Teeing off into their maiden season, the SPU women’s golf team aims to utilize their fall competition to build their skills and advance as far as possible to their championship tournament in spring.
Head coach Tyler Copp has shared how the team’s youth and confidence will be key determinants in these first competitions. Cautious about their unique situation (five transfers and two incoming freshmen), Copp has faith in his team.
“The first thing we need to understand is that we’re really inexperienced. We have about two players of our seven that have significant college tournament experience, and the other five, not so much,” Copp said. “That should allow us to play freely and not put too much pressure on ourselves, and one thing I will emphasize is going out there and playing confident golf. When you don’t have that experience, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes, and golf is a game of mistakes.”
Junior exercise science major Brigitte Fenton, who joined the Falcons after two years at Whitworth University, sees only opportunity in this first season and is confident the team can reach a high ranking in the spring season.
“I see it as a special opportunity to build a good program and place where people want to be,” Fenton said. “All of us [have] one expectation [to see] how far up we can get into the conference. I know there are some really good teams out there, but I know, with our scores that we’ve posted previously, that we can definitely compete with these other schools.”
Zoe Garcia, a sophomore exercise science major who joined the Falcons from Regis University, expects to treat this season like any other and start off swinging but take the opportunities to learn as well.
“There are really no expectations for the team,” Garcia said. “All of us have been working really hard, so we’re just looking forward to it like any other season. [We will] incorporate a learning part, but still get going and go hard in the beginning rather than slow start.”
Copp believes the team’s fall competition will prepare them well for their first championship run in the spring. The team’s first competition was against George Fox University (who won the Division III national championship in 2023) on Saturday, Sept. 14.
“That’ll be a good test for us [playing] against some really good competition,” Copp said.
The team came away with 326 points, establishing a strong debut. From these results, Copp expects the team to grow with every match until the end of the fall season.
“We end our fall season in Florida against some really good Division II opponents, and that trip will be a good culmination of our fall season,” Copp said. “Our team will already be very gelled at that point, and that’ll be a highlight for us.”
