Women’s golf slated to start spring season this weekend

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Following a lengthy layoff of competition because of COVID-19, the Defiance College women's golf team is scheduled to be back in action this weekend when participating in the Miami Whitewater Classic/Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Preview. Mount St. Joseph University is hosting the 36-hole tournament on Saturday and Sunday at the par-73 Miami Whitewater Forest Golf Course in Harrison, Ohio, which measures 5,905 yards.

Defiance did not play in its traditional fall season or last spring. The last time the Yellow Jackets competed on a golf course was during the final round of the HCAC Championship at Bluffton (Ohio) Golf Club on Oct. 13, 2019.

"This past year has been very disappointing for our players," DC head coach Allen Curtiss said. "We will return to the course this weekend which is just over one year since we received the awful news to stop playing last spring. Some of our players, depending where they are from, were not even allowed to play golf until late summer. We used the fall to practice and bond as a team since we have some new players this year. I feel that it has been an asset from that standpoint."

Defiance was set to open its spring season in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina in mid-March 2020. Curtiss and his Yellow Jackets traveled south for the Deercroft Spring Break Invite, hosted by St. Andrews University at Deercroft Golf Course in Wagram, only to have the event canceled as the coronavirus was rapidly spreading.

Now, after having its primary fall campaign moved to the spring, the 2020-21 DC squad – made up of one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen – is more than ready to start playing some golf.

"I understand that they all are chomping at the bit to return to competition," Curtiss said. "That is what they had expected when they got to campus in the fall. This year has given us a greater appreciation of the opportunities we have been given to compete and represent Defiance College."

Leading the Yellow Jackets is junior Shelby Mercer (Canton, Ohio/GlenOak). In the fall of 2019, Mercer played in four tournaments and was DC's top finisher three times. Her best scores were 88 for 18 holes and 182 for 36.

"Our top golfer is Shelby Mercer," Curtiss said. "She has been everything that a coach can ask for as a student and leader on the golf course for us during these trying times. Her golf game is looking really good right now and I am excited to see how that transfers into tournament play this spring."

Other veterans for Defiance are sophomores Mari Najar (Adrian, Mich./Madison) and Julia Yeager (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance). Najar was the only player to compete in all six events during the fall of 2019 and was the squad's top placer at the DC Invitational after shooting 180 (90-90). Yeager took part in three tournaments as a freshman.

"We also have two sophomores in Mari Najar and Julia Yeager who have worked really hard on their games and also in blending the freshmen into our college golf family," Curtiss said.

The two newcomers to the Defiance program are freshmen Dana Peterson (Grass Lake, Mich./Grass Lake) and Taylor Greilich (Bellevue, Ohio/Seneca East). Peterson excelled in golf and softball in high school while Greilich was a standout golfer and basketball player.

"Dana Peterson has the ability to be a very good college golfer," Curtiss said. "She has made good progress to this point, but has been handicapped by our limited fall schedule. The future is bright for both her and Taylor Greilich."

As with most sports during the pandemic, scheduling for golf, especially the women, has been extremely difficult for Curtiss.

"Our schedule for this spring has been a Chinese jigsaw puzzle. With all the restrictions different conferences have placed on their member schools as to who they can play, we have had to make several adjustments to our spring schedule," Curtiss said. "It is finally set and we will be facing a very challenging schedule on some very nice courses.

"We have more of a conference flavor this year in our opponents, which will make it fun and interesting. In the past, we may only see some of our southern conference members at the HCAC Championship. Times have changed and this might be a great outcome for HCAC golf."

Within the conference, Curtiss mentioned six programs that he and the rest of the HCAC are trying to catch up with.

"The top six teams are Transylvania, Rose-Hulman, Mount St. Joseph, Hanover, Manchester and Franklin. The rest of us are trying to grow up to be able to compete with the big six of women's golf in the HCAC," Curtiss said. "How we do that is the big question. The answer is competing against them regularly and learning what it takes to be a champion."

After having its main season postponed in the fall and not being able to play last spring, the Jackets are hoping for a more complete and consistent campaign in the spring of 2021.

"We have now been given back our opportunity to return to our field of dreams," Curtiss concluded. "I know that we will cherish our opportunities we have for this spring."