Hi Orange and Blue fans!
Amazing how time flies! The first half of the 2016-2017 season has officially come to an end. Even though some of us are still studying for final exams, it is time to have a recap for the fall season.
The first semester of college for me was a fun and busy one. My transition from high school to college, and China to U.S., would not have been this enjoyable without the help of the whole team, and the Fighting Illini family. I was fortunate enough to gain invaluable knowledge and experience in golf, academics and, most importantly, precious friendships with some awesome people.
Our fall season was basically comprised of three parts: golf, academics, and life experiences.
Golf: As my teammates have mentioned earlier, we completed our fall 2016 season on a high note; we are 26th in the nation at the end of the competitive season, our best ranking in last couple of years. All of this came from satisfaction, cooperation and determination. We treated each other like family and built cohesion through various team bonding activities; the most recent one was our Secret Santa, where each person received a present from a random teammate. These kind of activities give us perfect opportunities to know each other better and let us enjoy our time together even more. Whether on the course or in the gym, we always push each other to be the very best, one percent better every day.
Academics: We have been striving for academic excellence and we always will be. To take full advantage of our study hall, Irwin Academic Services Center, we often spend our time over there. I especially utilize the resources there. Fun fact: I spent 38 hours at Irwin before the finals week (yes for real). Now and then we had some "study dates" with teammates to cram for exams and to hype each other up. We have passion for our majors as well. Bing often carries a sheet of paper full of formulas and computer codes with her, and looks at it whenever possible. That is dedication!
Life experience: We had a packed schedule during our fall season and as a result, we were not able to participate in many fun activities outside golf and studying; however, as soon as the off-season started, we got our wheels rolling. We have always been grateful for our community, therefore, we give back as much as we can. We spent most of our time volunteering at non-profit food & grocery organizations such as Salt & Light as well as Eastern Illinois Foodbank. Apart from that, we visited the apple orchard together and supported several other teams at our home games!
It has been an exciting semester and we are prepared for what our future holds!
GO ILLINI!
Swing Liu
