In most years on most teams, N.C . State freshman Augusta James would be redshirting and watching one of the best conferences for women’s golf from the bench. But setting records and starting the latest renaissance in Wolfpack golf just sounded way too exciting to pass up. 

James, a native of Bath, Ontario, Canada, is one piece to an electrifying start to the Pack’s 2011 fall season, which has included one team victory and two top-five finishes. One of four Canadians on an underclassman-heavy team, James set a 54-hole scoring record at the Tar Heel Invitational with an 8-under total of 208. Her final round 3-under 69 helped the No. 16 Wolfpack soar to victories over ranked conference opponents Virginia, Duke and Wake Forest. 

“She’s complemented the other players on our team and helped us take these giant steps,” head coach Page Marsh said. “We play an individual sport, but it’s a team effort. [James] is just resonating off of everyone else, and they are resonating off of her. She’s a mature, thoughtful young player. 

“She knows what she wants and she still has room to grow, and that’s what’s fun.”

In her 12th season as State’s head coach, Marsh has finally watched her young team vault up into the national rankings for the first time in the program’s history. Out of the nine players on the roster, eight are freshmen or sophomores. 

“There are a lot of obvious things that makes [the success] happen,” Marsh said. “Obviously, they’ve got talent. They’re just a cohesive group that loves the game of golf. They have a great inner drive to become better.”

With one tournament remaining in the fall season, Marsh’s team has an opportunity to gain vital momentum before returning to action in mid-February. Evaluating the state of her upstart program is something Marsh said she does every day. 

“In golf, you do not get ahead of yourself,” Marsh said. “You play one shot at a time, and we go one practice at a time. Today, we are working on wedges and long fairway bunker shots. You have to keep being diligent about the small things and I know we have the talent to be contenders.”

Marsh’s precocious squad appears to be in line for one of the more unique opportunities in collegiate athletics – an entire core group of a team staying together for at least two consecutive seasons. James, a former Ontario team member with fellow Pack freshman Vivian Tsui , said she came to Raleigh after seeing the program’s impressive location and facilities. 

“The Carolinas are a beautiful area, which, as a general thing, attracted me to this area,” James said. “To N.C . State specifically, coach Marsh made it feel like a very welcoming atmosphere and she really showcased the things that I wanted to see like Lonnie Poole and the Short Game Facility. The whole atmosphere here was just exactly what I was looking for.”

And after emerging onto the scene as the No. 39 individual in the nation, James said she is ready to enjoy it and build off of the success before letting any of it sink in. 

“After the Landfall tournament, we really need to sit down and evaluate our goals so that we know what we are looking towards over the spring,” James said. “Honestly, the impact we are having on the ACC, at the school and the emotions that we’re going to feel won’t hit us until after we have graduated.”

One of James’s main mentors on the team is the Pack’s lone upperclassman, Amanda Baker. A major factor in State’s hot start, Baker said having a young, diverse group of players has not hurt the team’s chemistry. 

“We have a young team, so it’s tough to get chemistry together so fast, but I think we got it,” Baker said. “We’re going to grow together because none of us are graduating, so it’s going to be a long process, and hopefully we just keep getting better.”

Enthusiastic for the Pack’s future, Baker said James represents everything State wants to achieve moving forward. 

“She’s really helping us out,” Baker said. “For her to perform the way she has and to only be a freshman, I think that is incredible for the program.

Baker said, “We don’t want to be stagnant and just stay around No. 15. We just want to keep getting better.”