Simpsonian

Junior Noel Trebiel prepares to tee off. Trebiel was part of the varsity golf team that won the conference meet. Photo Courtsey of Simpson Sports Information. [Click to enlarge]

The Simpson Women's Golf team is celebrating winning a conference title and four members of the team making IIAC-All Conference.

Senior Jess Harvey, junior Noel Tribel, and freshmen Katie Vaux and Megan Smith all received the honor of IIAC-All Conference. To make IIAC-All Conference, a player had to be in the top 10 in player standings at the end of the tournament. Senior Jenny Goodall was 13th, putting her very close to making the cut-off.

The girls put a lot of hard work in throughout the season and hoped it would pay off in the conference tournament. They went into the final weekend four strokes behind Wartburg and knew they had to work hard to achieve their goals of winning the conference.

"I knew that we all had to play well at the Meadows because the course and the competition was going to be much harder," Smith said. "Before I teed off for my final round, I was just thinking 'play well and have fun.' It was the last meet of the fall season but with a trip to nationals on the line, just go out there and play our own game."

By the final day of the tournament, Simpson had achieved a five-stroke lead over Wartburg, their biggest rival, and were hopeful for a victory.

"By then we knew we had a good chance at winning if we kept our heads in it," Harvey said.

Smith, with a 77, felt she did very well the first day of the final weekend, and she hoped to do just as well the second day.

"I was thinking too much and trying to make the course harder than it really was," Smith said. "I was third in for our team the last day and I had no idea how anyone else was doing so I was jumping up and down inside waiting to hear how everyone else had done."

The team's ultimate goal from the beginning of the season was to win the conference. Harvey said golf is both a team and individual sport, and being a senior, she wanted to make all-conference, but ahead of that she wanted her team to win the conference.

Goodall said the team is a very tight-knit group of girls, and they have collectively wanted to win conference all season.

"We knew that having a positive attitude and keeping our goal in sight at all times were going to help us win the tournament," Goodall said. "I think we have a great amount of talent on our team, and I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to play at the national level."

Smith said now that they have achieved their goals, it is an unreal feeling.

"I knew that when I started the season it would be awesome to make all conference as an individual and I knew that we had the potential to win conference as a team and go to nationals" Smith said. "But now that it is over and I have accomplished both of them, it still doesn't seem real."

Smith ended up with 337 for the entire tournament, placing her in ninth place overall. Vaux finished with 329, putting her in the fourth spot. Harvey came in sixth with 330 and Treibel in 10th with a 339. Goodall came in 12th with 341. As a team Simpson's score was 1,321, and they beat Wartburg by six strokes.

Harvey said it took all the girls, putting all their heart, work and effort into practicing to get as far as they have.

"We had to outwork the competition and I think that's what we did," Harvey said. "I'm really proud of all the girls."

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