The 2023-24 Kalamazoo College women's golf team has arrived on campus and begun pre-season workouts, with the season starting at the Kyle Campbell Invite on Sept. 8-9. The Hornets will look to get back into the mix after coming in ninth during MIAA play last season.
Schedule Breakdown
- The Hornets will then participate in the Kyle Campbell Invite on Sept. 8-9 at The Medalist, hosted by Olivet, before jumping into MIAA play.
- Albion and Calvin will host the first two MIAA Jamborees on Sept. 14 and Sept. 27. The first will be at the Cascade Golf Club, with the second at Thornapple Pointe.
- Kalamazoo will then host the third MIAA Jamboree at Milham Park on Sept. 30.
- The final MIAA Jamboree will be at the Zollner Golf Course as Trine hosts on Oct. 5.
- The Hornets will finish the fall season at the Bethel Intercollegiate, played at Harbor Shores on Oct. 16-17.
Roster Breakdown
- Kalamazoo returns four golfers from the 2022-23 squad and will add three new members for seven total in 2023-24.
- The team is comprised of three seniors, a junior, and three heading into their first collegiate season.
Returning Statistical Leaders
- Sydney Pickell returns as Kalamazoo's top golfer after being named to the All-MIAA First Team with a second-place finish at the MIAA Fall Final last season. She had two more top-five finishes, a top-10 finish, and another top-25 finish with an average of 81.6 (79.2 in MIAA play) on the season.
- Also returning is Ella Szczublewski, who averaged 90.4 (88.8 in MIAA play) with a top-10 finish and three top-25 finishes last season.
- Marissa Kovac finished the season strong last year with a top-five, a top-20, and a top-25 finish in the spring season, averaging 91.3 for the year.
- Playing in just the spring season because of soccer was Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci, who got a top-20 finish and averaged 89.3.
Stepping Up
- The Hornets will have three newcomers, Jillian Smith, Julia Sitz, and Gretchen Wilson, who will look to make an impact on the team.
Head Coach Holden Price
Coach Price enters his first season as the Director of Golf for the Hornets, serving as the head coach for both the men's and women's golf teams. He comes to Kalamazoo College with a variety of coaching and administrative experience. Most recently, Price was the golf operations manager at Crystal Mountain Resort in Northern Michigan, overseeing all golf operations, services, and programming. Price was also a head golf professional at X-Golf in Traverse City, Mich., assistant golf professional at Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club in Arcadia, Mich., program assistant at The First Tee Greater Wilmington, N.C., and assistant golf professional at Pine Hills Golf Club in Laingsburg, Mich.
Quoting Coach Price
"With the experience of our women's team, we have high expectations this year. The leadership from our most experienced players and our new players has me excited for what the team could accomplish. I believe we have a strong chance to crack into the top four in MIAA and maybe finish even higher."