Last year was the first full season the Chico State Women’s Golf team had since the COVID-19 pandemic forced a cancellation of the 2020-2021 season.

With only three returning players on this year’s roster one of them being junior Taylor Stewart, the women’s golf team is poised to have an exciting six-tournament season with half of them being in the fall semester. 

“My coach (Women’s Golf Head Coach Heather Fegley) approached me and we talked over the summer, and she told me she wanted me to be the team captain, a leader,” Stewart said. “Since I am like ‘the senior’ on the team she [Coach Fegley] wants me to provide an example, and show what is expected.”

The Wildcats will play their first tournament of the season in the annual RJGA Shootout at Estrella hosted by New Mexico State University at the Golf Club of Estrella in Goodyear, Arizona, on Sept. 26 through the 27. 

Last year in the RJGA Shootout at Estrella, the Wildcats finished in 12th place. With former Wildcat Kelsey Blaylock finishing tied for 10th place.

With players graduating every season, the team is used to adding new faces. Freshman Alison Oliveira is looking forward to contributing to the team’s success this season.

“Since I’m so new and we haven’t all been together a lot, I haven’t gotten to know what I can do to help the team,” Oliveira said. “But, I’m there for support. If any of the girls have a problem or anything, I feel like we’re always here for each other.” 

Oliveira played at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, California. According to MaxPreps, during the 2021-22 season, she contributed to her school having an (11-1) record. Now, Oliveira is looking forward to building chemistry with a new team.

“I work well with everyone on the team so there haven’t been issues with feeling left out,” Oliveira said. “Everyone works together and we’re all friends with each other and we all help each other out.”

As a team, the Wildcats struggled to get a tournament win last season. Sophomore Kelly More added that this season the Wildcats are looking to be more competitive in the California Collegiate Athletic Association conference.

“During the offseason, I improved on better alignment,” More said. “I’ve always had a hard time aligning my feet … now I have a routine where I’m like okay, I’m going to pick this specific spot where I want to hit.”

Last season, More averaged 85 strokes per round across four fall tournaments. With that, More seems to be more confident in what she can do this season.

“Last season I didn’t have the right equipment that I needed … so my coach encouraged me to get new Vokey wedges that I definitely see an improvement in my game with recently,” More said. 

Leading the pack, the 2021-2022 CCAA Impact Award winner, Stewart seems optimistic about what she can do to improve not only her game but the team as a whole.

“We had a meeting at the beginning of the semester with everyone and we [want] to have a culture that’s built with a positive attitude,” Stewart said. “That has been something in the past where we have struggled a bit … but our coach is trying to cultivate that positive environment we can all thrive in.”

In her sophomore season, Stewart led the team with the best overall stroke average with an impressive 79.2. 

“I’ve been working a lot on my ball striking, knowing my proximity to the hole and narrowing down my misses,” Stewart said. “This last weekend we had qualifying and [ball-striking] is what I was focused on and it showed out.”

With a rejuvenated roster, the Wildcats’ confidence is high and they are hopeful for a more successful season than last year. 

For more information about Chico State Women’s Golf and Wildcats Athletics, visit the Chico State Wildcats homepage. 

Alejandro Mejia Mejia can be reached at [email protected] or @MeijaMeijaAlex on Twitter.