Improved Cardinals Head to the American Athletic Conference Tournament
April 17, 2014 | Women's Golf
April 17, 2014
Louisville, Ky. - The University of Louisville women's golf team completed regular season play this past week and will now prepare for the 2014 American Athletic Conference Championship to be held April 20-22. Head coach Courtney Trimble has seen great improvement in the team during her second season at the helm. The young Cardinal team, led by lone senior Tara Lyons, has compiled impressive finishes through both the fall and spring seasons and has finished in the Top 10 in every tournament on the year.
Trimble, who before coming to Louisville was able to rebuild the women's golf program at the University of Central Florida, attributes the team's improvements this year to its depth. The Cardinals brought in four new student-athletes at the beginning of the 2013-14 season to add to the depth of the existing squad. This group included three freshmen who have all seen playing time this season and Haley Andreas, a red shirt junior who transferred from the University of Arizona.
In 2012-13, the team combined for a 77.35 shot average. This season, that average has improved to 75.67 thanks to impressive performances by all five returnees and consistency from the four newcomers. Trimble feels that the more experienced players on the team have stepped up and improved from the previous season.
"We saw great improvement from Laura, Katie, and Emily, all who significantly improved their stroke averages," said Trimble. "We moved up 25 to 30 spots in the national rankings since last season."
Restrepo, a sophomore from Panama City, Panama, leads the team with a 72.7 stroke average over 10 appearances. During her freshman campaign, Restrepo held a 76.3 stroke average to finish third on the team, which means that she has improved her shot average by 3.6 strokes this season.
Haas, a junior from Nicholasville, Ky., is second on the team with a 73.1 stroke average on the year. She improved that average by 1.4 strokes after finishing last season with a 74.5 stroke average.
Petrino, a junior from Fayetteville, Ark., is third on the team with a stroke average of 73.7. This is a 3.1 stroke improvement from last season where she finished with a final stroke average of 76.8.
Trimble added that attitude and hard work have also had an impact on the Cardinals' season.
"This is the hardest working group that I've ever coached," said Trimble. "They have taken on an attitude of getting better each day and pushed each other to get better."
Trimble adds that the depth of the team pushes the players to work harder for a spot at each tournament. She will take five athletes to the American Athletic Conference Championships who will compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The American Athletic Conference Championship will be held on April 20-22 on the Ocean Course at the Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Fla.
Players Mentioned
