Women’s golf had a strong start to their season despite some of their players being plagued with injuries. The Vikings have finished in the top four in four of their 11 invites.

Despite their success, there have been a few significant injuries on the team.

Head coach Tom Lawrence said the injuries have affected their top players and their captains.

“Our top player, Samantha Barlage, has been unable to play this spring due to a lingering knee issue,” Lawrence said. “She and our other senior Caitlin Doherty have been our captains this year and are our leaders both on and off the course.”

Even though senior and captain Samantha Barlage may have to sit on the sidelines for a bit, she is still confident in the team to perform well this season.

“We have had a promising season anchored by veteran players and new talent with a lot of potential,” Barlage said. “There has been a lot of new golfers that have joined the team.  My freshman year, there was a total of three of us joining the team.”

The team of numerous veterans has high hopes for the rest of their season.

“We have the same group of ladies that played with us in the fall when we finished fifth in the CCIW meet,” Lawrence said. “We expect to be in the hunt for team titles at the Millikin Spring Classic and our own Viking Invitational the last weekend in April.”

Barlage  said the team’s strength is their cohesiveness, since they “all get along and work towards one, unified goal.” Their weakness, as Lawrence described, is more the challenge that all athletes face in “balancing the school and athletics time commitment.”

Barlage also said how golf has helped the team achieve more in their athletic and student life.

“Golf is a game in which we are constantly working to improve our skills,” Barlage said. “The heat of competition and desire to succeed pushes us to work hard and seek results.”

The future of the women’s golf team is waiting for their recruiting efforts to come to fruition when they acquire new golfers this coming fall.

“We have five recruits that have committed to playing for us and two other high school seniors who I expect to commit soon,” Lawrence said. “It will give us the best and deepest group of freshmen we’ve ever had.”

The next invite for women’s golf will be the Millikin Spring Invitational on April 15, in Decatur, Ill.