On April 20, the Trinity’s men’s and women’s golf teams won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championships at Vaaler Creek Golf Club in Blanco, TX.

It was the first time the men’s team had won the SCAC since 2013, and it was the women’s team’s first conference championship since 2017.

“We went into the conference knowing that Southwestern was going to be our biggest competition, but we knew we were more than capable of performing better than them. We were one stroke behind them after the first day, and we finished eight strokes ahead the second day,” said senior Delaney Kelley.

The women’s team had been runner-ups at the past two SCAC Championships, but this year they managed to vault ahead of Southwestern with a combined score of 645, just ahead of Southwestern’s combined score of 653.

“We knew we needed to win if we wanted to have a chance at Nationals,” said first-year Erin Flynn.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will announce if the golf teams qualify for Nationals on May 3rd.

Sarah Buss, a junior on the golf team, explained that after getting their season cut short last year, winning this title meant even more to the team.

“I was extremely proud of our team after this tournament. It has been a tough season for everyone and this win really made all of their hard work pay off,” said Buss.

This spring season has really allowed the women’s team to come together, according to junior Raquel Hill.

“It was a really solid performance overall, and I really think that our team dynamic definitely helped. The five of us have become very close during the tournament season and have genuinely supported each other throughout each tournament,” said Hill. “I would say that a challenge has been accepting the amount of [first-years] that came this year and having to compete with the majority of players younger than myself and our captain, Delaney. However, I also believe that having a young team that is very competitive is good, as we will all get better at competing against each other which will make our team better overall.”

Sophomore Joanna Kass also commented on the young team, saying, “The golf team this year is one of the best that we’ve had, and it’s been a great season. We are a close-knit team that supports and pushes each other to play our best, and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish in the next few years.”

Flynn shared a similar sentiment, saying, “I’m grateful to be a part of this team. We’ve all been working hard, this season has been so much fun.”

For Kelley, finally claiming the SCAC in her last year makes everything the team has accomplished in 2021 all the more special.

“It’s the first time we’ve won a conference since I’ve been here, so it felt amazing getting the win for my senior year. I’m super proud of the girls on my team,” said Kelley. “We’ve worked hard all year for this and even though Vaaler Creek is a hard golf course, we did what we needed to win. I’m so glad I got to spend my last year on the team with them.”