Leland golf is back for another year as the Comets drove off the tee-box to start the season with multiple matches.
The Comets are bringing back a ton of talent and veteran play as Elyse Atha, Ella Knudsen, Emerie Burda, Alyssa Korson, and Hannah Hamlin will be leading the charge as seniors.
Leland will have 12 golfers competing, which is nearly triple from two years ago.
Leland coach Grace Keeble will have her first four-year athlete on the team. Three of the four seniors are in their third year of golf which has added depth to the team.
“We have girls who’ve experienced this before. We have two freshmen who’ve joined us, and the nice thing, out of my ten girls last year, eight returned. It’s nice to have those numbers. It’s really special. This is our 8th year of the program.” Keeble said.
The Comets are coming into 2024 with a lot more confidence with another year of experience.
Elyse is in her second year after moving from Ohio last year as she looks to take the next step for the Comets along with the other four seniors.
“Time flies. I’m so happy. Senior year, best year. It’s gonna be great, I think really just getting out and for warmups, judging the course and really slowing down. Taking time is gonna help me a lot this year,” Atha said.
The team’s goal is to compete and get better everyday with an emphasis on helping underclassmen develop their skills.
“We’ve already met that goal this year with our freshmen joining. They’ve done a great job. They’re so easy going and they love taking pointers from us and that’s just so cool to see. I know I was a freshman looking up to the seniors too, so that’s a full circle moment. It’s just so nice to be such a part of a tight knit group of girls,” Hamlin said.
Korson is excited to see the growth she has made over the summer to make her senior season one to remember. One of her goals is to help younger teammates through leadership.
“It’s also a little sad that it’s my last year on the team and leaving all good teammates and friends behind and relationships you make while playing golf together,” she said.
Another senior, Ella Knudsen, is one of the many dual sporters on the team that will be juggling both golf and cross country. Knudsen credited the growth in golf for girls at Leland could be attributed to the girls golf clinic that was in elementary school.
“I think that brought interest to girls golf, started to hear more about it as this program has continued to grow,” Knudsen said. “I love golf so much. Especially the coaches. They make it worth it, and they really know what they’re talking about. You come to practice and they have a smile on their face and they’re there to lift you up. Just have a great time,” Knudsen said.
Emerie Burda has been on the team for three years and she thinks the growth of the team is due to it becoming a varsity sport instead of a club sport.
“There’s something out there I can do to fill my time and have fun, but also learn something new. It’s competitive and I think golf’s helped me more.” Burda said.
