After completing a successful fall semester, the Wolfpack women are headed to the Caribbean to compete in the team’s first tournament of 2011. The three-day event will take place on the Greg Norman-designed River Course at Mar Beach Resort in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
Caroline Ellington, a redshirt freshman majoring in textile engineering, said she is looking forward to the opportunity of starting the spring season in a warm climate. Ellington begins this semester’s play coming off a 17th place, 8-over performance at October’s Landfall Tradition.
“I’m thrilled, I’m so excited,” Ellington said. “We’re coming out with a really young team, and we always have a fresh lineup most of the time. We have a lot of potential.”
In addition to competing in an elite college golf tournament, the team is also looking forward to some of the benefits of playing south of the continental United States.
“I’m excited to be at the beach and maybe even regain some of my tan,” Ellington said. “Just to get away from Raleigh for a little while in a nice place like that, it’s something I’m looking forward to.”
Following suit with State’s talented core of young players that have stepped in right away, freshman Ana Menendez from Mexico City, Mexico, said she will be looking forward to the Puerto Rico visit as well.
“I am excited because I’ve never been to an island before, and it will be really nice to go to a new place,” Menendez said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s great that they speak Spanish, too. That will be really nice. It’s really exciting for me to go back to the warmth for a couple of days. We’re looking forward to a good tournament.”
Of course, the getaway from the cold temperatures will certainly not be the only thing on the players’ minds as they depart tomorrow afternoon. The Pack has a fantastic opportunity to prove that its young lineup has shown steady progression.
“I think the coaches are trying to put a different lineup and make a team that can score low,” Menendez said. “It’s great that everyone has an equal opportunity to play. It was really tough qualifying this time.”
Building off of Menendez’s sentiment, Ellington said she was thrilled to look at her current teammates and know that the group will have time to grow as the spring season progresses.
“We’re coming out with a really young team,” Ellington said. “It’s exciting because we always have a fresh lineup most of the time. We have a lot of potential.”
Page Marsh is in her eleventh year as the N.C. State women’s golf coach and said she has enjoyed watching the group take some of its first steps. This will be the fifth different lineup for Marsh’s 2010-2011 team.
“As a coach, it’s exciting for our team because it shows that we have depth,” Marsh said. “In this particular event, we’ll be very young. It’s a special trip for the student athletes and a great opportunity to play in warm weather and get some good practice in.”
