On April 13 and 14, the Blues golf teams faced off in the NWC Classic, one of the three major conference tournaments that the golf teams compete in. The tournament took place in Olympia, with the men’s team finishing eighth overall and the women’s taking second overall. Standout golfers included senior Shiyang Fan, who finished fourth in the tournament, placing her in a position to be conference player of the year. This week, The Wire spoke with Coach Skip Molitor and two of the women’s players, junior Kacey Godwin and Shiyang Fan, about their performances this weekend and moving forward.

Godwin had clear goals and preparation routines for the weekend. Mostly, these goals centered around focus.

“My goal for the weekend was to focus on playing smart and staying focused on a course like Olympia CC. The mental preparation is fairly routine in terms of warming up before the round and circling up with the team. My mindset was focused on gratitude and staying present for each hole.”

Fan, however, took a more relaxed approach to the weekend.

“My goal was to have fun and play consistently. [In regards to prepping,]  just pretty normal practice and a relaxed attitude.”

Speaking to the team’s performance overall, both Godwin and Fan felt they could have done better, but good things still came out of the weekend.

“I think we improved a lot on the second day and stayed patient on the first day when the conditions were very tough so I am proud of our team,” said Fan.

Godwin noted that, “I wanted to have scored better for the team, but I definitely felt more confident in my swing and my abilities coming off of this tournament. Overall, I was proud of our team for battling through the challenging conditions and working hard throughout the weekend.”

Looking forward to the close of the season, both Fan and Godwin are excited for the Conference Championship. Coach Molitor also outlined the potential for the weekend for Whitman’s finish in the standings.

“The women can force a sudden-death playoff by winning the championship and George Fox finishing second, which would tie us in the league standings with 30 points apiece and cause a playoff for the AQ (automatic qualifier) berth in the NCAA Championship.”

As a senior, this part of the season is bittersweet for Fan.

“I am going to miss the team the most, they are my family and I love them so much. [However,] I am looking forward to going back to China and travel around the country with coach Skip and Amy.”

The Championship will be held April 27 and 28.