Men’s, women’s squads look for strong fall start

Golf is not traditionally a fall sport in terms of Big Ten play. But that doesn’t deter the IU men’s and women’s golf teams from thinking about preparing for the Big Ten Championships in April. The fall is generally a time for players to work on their games and improve against the best competition possible, both in and out of the Big Ten. \nIU women’s golf coach Clint Wallman said his team looks to try to improve whenever possible. \n“Golf is a such a game that there’s always stuff to do,” Wallman said. “And for us, what we need to do is try to just get better each day, each event (and) look at where we need help.”\nSophomore Kellye Belcher said the team is looking good as the fall tournament schedule gets into full swing. \n“The team’s looking good,” Belcher said. “We have everybody back this year that we had last year, and we’re doing good.”\nThe women’s squad returns all its top golfers from last year’s team who made an appearance at nationals in the spring. Belcher said the team is focused on trying to repeat such a performance again this year. \n“We’ve proven to ourselves ... that we can compete and that we can beat a lot of the teams out there that no one expects us to,” Belcher said. “We know what it takes to get to nationals, and we’re going to work harder this year and get back there, hopefully.”\nSenior Elaine Harris said playing against Big Ten competition helps ready the squad for clutch moments and important matches. \n“Looking at the Big Ten, Purdue finished in the top five at nationals. Also Michigan State did well,” Harris said. “There are a couple of ... really good teams in our league, and playing with them always gets us ready for a fight.”\nWallman said he sees a lot of parity in the Big Ten this year. \n“I think the Big Ten is very balanced,” Wallman said. “I think the Big Ten championship in April is going to be anyone’s tournament. I think one of five or six teams could wind up winning the Big Ten.”\nWallman said he believes that, if his team prepares well and handles key situations correctly, it stands a good chance of repeating last year’s feat of going to nationals. From there, he said, anything is possible. \n“If we take care of our business, if we take care of our details, I’m fairly confident that we will have an opportunity to play in the post-season, and once you have the opportunity to play in the postseason, it’s a brand new game,” Wallman said. \nIU men’s golf coach Mike Mayer said he believes his team can improve its game by playing on varying types of courses to gain more experience. \nMayer also said he believes his team can compete with the best teams in the Big Ten, partially due to the Hoosiers’ depth.\n“I feel that we stack up very well with the (Big Ten) competition,” Mayer said. “I feel we have one of the best golfers in the conference in Jorge Campillo. I also feel that we have a deep rotation, and that makes us strong.”\nCampillo was IU’s lone representative at the NCAA Central Regionals last spring, where he tied for 72nd place. \nMayer said his team needs to worry about its own game without troubling itself with other teams, since golf is a game where teams cannot control each other’s play. \n“We definitely need to control the controllables,” Mayer said. “In golf, you can’t control how well your competition plays, so your focus is solely on your own game.”\nJunior Drew Allenspach said the team needs to learn to capitalize on chances when they present themselves if IU wants to be successful in the Big Ten. \n“I think we need to work on making better decisions in difficult situations,” Allenspach said. “We also need to convert opportunities when given the chance.”\nAllenspach said the team’s fall schedule is preparing its members well, and said he thinks this is one of the strongest fall schedules he’s played since coming to campus. \n “We are getting great exposure by playing strong teams in the fall,” Allenspach said. \n– Staff writer Kevin Luchansky contributed to this article.