The spotlight accompanying freshman golfer Brittany Marchand’s early success with the Pack has had little in common with her first ever foray into the public eye. This time around, she is far more visible than she was during her short-lived career as a figure skater and actress. Marchand’s role as an ice-skating rhinoceros in the 2002 film “Death to Smoochy” did not yield her any Oscar Award trophies or nominations, but did allow her to briefly share a Hollywood stage with Robin Williams, Edward Norton and Danny Devito.

“I used to be a really competitive figure skater before I started golf,” Marchand said. “It was my thing. I thought I was going to be a professional figure skater and one day at my club I looked on the bulletin board and there was an audition for this movie. All we did was put on a purple rhino suit and skated around.”

Eight years later, Marchand has wasted no time in proving her value as a well-rounded newcomer to women’s golf coach Page Marsh.

“It is hard to talk about Brittany as a player without talking about her as a person and as a student,” coach Page Marsh said. “She is just an all-around strong athlete, good team member and a great student. And she brings a great energy to our team.”

In three fall tournaments, Marchand has been the Pack’s top individual finisher twice, including her first collegiate win at the UNCG Starmount Fall Classic in September. Marchand tied for first in the tournament after she bogeyed on the final hole. She said the butterflies in her stomach were a factor, especially during that final hole.

“The whole round I was just trying not to think about any thing and just play my game,” Marchand said. “The last hole I ended up bogeying for the tie, which sucked. But I could definitely tell that I made a few mistakes on the last hole and that the nerves played a part in it.”

Marchand’s career at N.C. State almost did not happen, and it was not because of her acting career.  She did not commit to the Wolfpack until very late in the recruiting season and it was almost a fluke chance that she and Marsh met.

“It was kind of a last-minute decision,” Marchand said. “This school popped up for me late in my recruiting season and I liked the fact that it had a great engineering program and that the golf here is amazing. I love the coaches, I love the facilities, the short-game facility and the new golf course. It was just a perfect fit for me.”

Marsh echoes Marchand in her description of the way the recruitment between the player and the school went down, saying it was Marchand’s demeanor and course presence that really caught her eye.

“She had looked at other schools and we had been looking at other players,” Marsh said.  “But then she played at the Western Junior at Hope Valley, which is next door over in Durham and I went to watch her and it worked out great. Her parents were there and I really liked the way she played, the energy that she had on the course and I really liked her family.

“Since she was so close, we had the opportunity to bring her over on an unofficial visit and she looked at campus. Even though she had been talking to other teams for a while, it was almost like an automatic fit.”

Hailing from Ontario, Canada, there were some obvious differences Marchand had to adjust to during the process of moving 736 miles south. One of the biggest differences is the grass she plays on.

“The biggest thing for me coming down to Raleigh is the grass here,” Marchand said. “At home we have a different grass, where here it is all Bermuda. It’s a lot different to chip and hit shots out of. What the ball does on Bermuda rough is it nestles in there. So it’s hard to know, if you haven’t dealt with it, how to attack and get to the ball.”

Based on her record this fall, she’s had little difficulty overcoming the geographic relocation. Marchand said the success so early in her college career has been unexpected.

“I don’t think I expected this, definitely not winning a tournament,” Marchand said. “I thought it would be a bit more difficult with the whole transition and everything.”

Marsh has been far less surprised with Marchand’s early performance.

“I expected her to come in and play,” Marsh said. “We all know that when you come away to school there are variables you have to adjust to and she has the type of personality that she can make the transition. She is just a hard worker and she loves what she is doing and is passionate about golf.”