— Stephen Brooks, The State News

In the past several years, you’ve had the best two seasons in MSU women’s golf history. What does it mean to you to have those records?
“It’s really cool and there’s been a lot of good players at Michigan State and to be up there with the best of them, it’s definitely very humbling and gratifying. As I’m playing during the year, I’m not really thinking about that, it’s just kind of trying to make a birdie on every hole and help out the team score. I guess when it all adds up well it means that the steps along the way were good, and that’s what I’m more concerned about. But it’s definitely exciting and not something I had anticipated when I was coming in as a freshman.”

Take me back to the beginning, how did you start playing golf originally?
“Well my whole family is involved in golf. My mom is a teaching professional and my dad grew up around golf and always loved it, so it’s always been a huge family thing. I took to it from a young age and never really stopped.”

At what point did it set in that golf might be something you have a talent for?
“Well I started playing in tournaments when I was nine and there weren’t ever many girls there, you know, I was always the youngest one. And my sister was a couple years older so it always pushed me to beat her. Growing up there weren’t many golfers around, so I just knew that it was something that I really enjoyed. There were more and more opportunities for girl’s golf as I grew up … so I think that it all just kind of happened from there.”

How did it feel to be named George Alderton Female Co-Athlete of the Year for the second time by the MSU Athletics Department?
“That was really unbelievable. Last year, I think it seemed like I had a better year because I finished on a higher note, but this year I had a stronger start so near the end of it it’s always the shortcomings that kind of stick in your mind more (than) the disappointments. It didn’t really dawn on me that the year as a whole has been a really good one, so I was extremely, extremely grateful to get that. And for them to name me with (women’s soccer player) Laura (Heyboer) — and I know Laura, and she is absolutely a great girl and definitely deserving of her athletic achievements and, you know, just being a great person overall. So to be named with her was really spectacular.”

You’ve also been a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. How much pride do you take in the student portion of the term student-athlete?
“That’s always been really important to me. In high school, I think I was a little overly obsessed with (academics), so now it’s just trying to balance everything. But our team won the highest team (grade-point average among women’s sports) and that’s something that as a team we really wanted to achieve this year, and we pulled it off so that was really exciting. It’s important to me to keep my grades because golf might not always work out and so to have a great plan B to fall back on is definitely my education.”

For all of the honors that you have collected the past two years, you weren’t able to win everything — you fell short of the Big Ten’s Suzy Favor Female Athlete of the Year award. How disappointed were you that you couldn’t win that one?
“I guess it is disappointing and I should probably be more disappointed, but I just try to go about my business and if awards happen then that’s great, but I know that I’m always just trying to do the best that I can. If you get an award, that’s great — it’s a bonus. But if not, you know I’ll just keep putting along. I probably should realize it, but I never had it, so it’s not like I never lost anything.”

It has to be an honor to be nominated for the award though, right?
“Oh, absolutely. For the (MSU) athletics department to name me even as the nominee, that was really humbling and I’m very grateful for their nomination.”

With everything that you have done at MSU, in your mind, what is left for you to accomplish as a collegiate golfer?
“I really want to get that stroke average to stay in the 72s, that’s probably one of the biggest things. I know I’ve done well, but I just want to be happy with the pieces of the puzzle, I guess. There’s always the things I look at like my up and down percentage, and my accuracy on driving and each individual hole. So I guess I’m looking more at those things as far as goals and getting those numbers where I want them to be, because I know that if those happen then everything else will kind of fall into place.”

Would you say you have a little bit of perfectionist in you when it comes to your game?
“I think it’s more being able to recover when the imperfect shots happen and you have to get yourself out of a jam. I think it’s not so much of (being) a perfectionist as just trying to, in my ability, be the best that I can be.”

When your MSU career is over, how do you hope to be remembered?
“I would hope to be remembered just as a happy person. Golf is definitely something that has defined a lot of what I do at Michigan State, but it’s more important to me about like the relationships that I’ve made and all the people along the way who have helped me. So, I guess just being very thankful for all of the opportunities I’ve been given and hopefully as I continue to grow up to be able to give back to the people who are underneath me.”

Do you hope to pursue a professional golf career after you leave MSU?
“Definitely. This fall I’ll be going to the LPGA qualifying school, so that will determine my professional status for the following summer once I’m graduated with school and everything. So that’s next on the agenda once the senior year is over.”