Sophomore Hailey Hrynewich had a successful summer and is looking to use her success to lead the Bobcats this fall.
Some sports offer redshirt programs that allow incoming freshmen to take a year to learn the speed and flow competing at the next level.
That’s not normally the case for golfers, though.
Golf takes the team aspect away and puts pressure on the individual to card the lowest score possible. It may sound hard to handle, but sophomore Hailey Hrynewich embraces the challenge and was one of Ohio’s top golfers last year, finishing 10th in the Mid-American Conference Championships this past spring.
“I worked really hard last summer coming into my freshman year,” Hrynewich said. “The MAC Championships, I played really good the first two days, the last day not so well, but I was really proud of the way I played the first two days.”
Coach Kelly Ovington feels positive about the way Hrynewich and the Bobcats are coming together this year.
“It’s a great time for the program. I think we are building,” Ovington said. “I think with the leadership we have in the upper class (are) really showing (the younger players) what is expected and what they need to do. They are falling right in line and doing what they need to do.”
During the summer, some Bobcats competed in the Midwest Collegiate Amatuer Series (MACS) in order to stay fresh away from Athens. The MACS are a series of tournaments composed of players from various conferences.
Playing in these tournaments demonstrates how members of the team are responsible for practicing without the supervision of a coach during the summer.
However, putting in extra work on her own is nothing new to Hrynewich, a Muskegon, Michigan native.
“I’m kind of used to it, I’ve been doing it my whole life,” she said. “It’s discipline and how much you want to get better. I do all the tournaments and practice every day because I know it will pay off.”
Hrynewich’s performances last year and this summer have helped not only in the standings, but also by pushing others on the team to get better — especially the older veterans.
“It definitely pushes me to get better and to keep on top of my game, with the rest of the talent we have this year I think we can put together a really good team score,” junior Angela Codian said.
Bringing in golfers like Hrynewich shows Ovington’s belief that if someone is better or wants to be better, that helps everyone on the team.
“It pushes everybody,” Ovington said. “Each year I tell the players that I am trying to get a better player than you next year. ”
The spirit of competition is a large part of Hrynewich’s and the team’s recent success, which Ohio will look to continue when it begins its fall season this weekend.
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