Hello Illini Nation!

The team traveled down to the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship at Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee, over the weekend, and returned with the first place trophy and a new 54-hole total record! What a way to start the season!

The trip to Tennessee started with a great dinner at Panera Bread, and then we were off to Louisville to get a quick practice round in before we play in the Cardinal Classic in October. We did this so we would not miss more class later in the semester. It was also great to break up the seven hour trip with an overnight stay! The team got an informative practice round in on Saturday, and we were able to get plenty of homework done as well before hitting the road again. Once we arrived in Knoxville, we were able to get a great night sleep before our practice round for the Mercedes-Benz on Sunday, which was extremely productive! The energy and excitement was visible to everyone as we finished up our day with a great dinner (and laughing session) at the course.

We were up bright and early the next morning to get the first day of the tournament started! We posted a strong first round score of 282 (-2) and followed up with a second round score of 278 (-6)! The scores were enough to tie us atop the leaderboard. We were in a very similar situation last year at the very same tournament! But this year, something was different. 

The energy and excitement between the team was at a level I have not experienced before. I'm not exaggerating when I say you could visibly see and feel how badly we wanted to play for and with each other as a unit! We were determined and focused. 

We were all-in. 

We woke up the next day ready to face whatever it would throw our way. We remained positive and kept the energy high throughout the day. We waved, shouted, and threw our hands in the air to send that positive energy to each other on every hole! In the end, I believe this is what made the difference. By the end of play on Tuesday, we were all biting our nails in anticipation of the scores being posted. Soon enough, we were celebrating our victory! We won by a single stroke with a score of 840 (-12) and a new team total 54-hole record. We knew that every shot counted, and this motivated us to play for each other. If we can go into every tournament with the same mentality, who knows what other successes and records will come our way!

Up next for us is the Coeur d'Alene Resort Collegiate in Idaho. We hope to see some Illini fans cheering us on!

Until next time,

Tristyn Nowlin