Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: Tim Cowie/Tim Cowie Photography
Deacon Sports Xtra: Demon Deacons Motivated and Focused on the Future
6/24/2021 12:14:00 PM | Women's Golf
When the sports world came to a screeching halt last March because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Wake Forest Women's Golf team came off a practice round out west as the number one ranked team in the country.
With collegiate sports shuffled around for the 2020-21 season, the ACC pushed golf tournaments to just the spring semester. Despite no team competitions in the fall, every Demon Deacon got back to campus to prepare for a championship run as part of a deep, talented and experienced golf team.
"We were the number one team when Covid hit and had every single player return in the fall, even though they knew there weren't going to be tournaments then," Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said. "They wanted to practice and get ready to compete for a national championship. That helped give us some relief and direction from Covid, and helped us get through as a strong team. We had a good year. We didn't win the whole thing, but it was a successful season for many reasons."
In the spring, the Demon Deacons claimed The Palmetto Intercollegiate, Big Four Challenge, earned a top seed in the Stanford Regional and then advanced to their third-consecutive NCAA Championship.
Wake Forest women's golf was named Female Team of the Year in the 2021 Black & Golden Globes.
"Every time we teed it up with a high," Lewellen said. "We didn't get to play in the fall. Then with us being ranked so high in the spring when everything shut down, just every time we got to play as a team, we were thrilled to be out there. We never knew if we would be teeing it up again. Were we going to have Covid issues or contact tracing? You just never knew. Every time they were thrilled to be out there."
The challenging and uncertain times that descended upon the team during the early months of the pandemic were countered by an appreciation for Wake Forest and a love of the sport they play.
"I honestly think the commonality of the sport they love and Wake Forest." Lewellen said. "They love Wake Forest and they love the campus. It was a place they found comfort. It's a small community and everyone knows one another. They came together and enjoyed that. It's an outdoor sport, so we were able to practice and share some camaraderie.
"The sport kept them sane during those times through all of this. That kept them close and kept them motivated to keep practicing and working to get better."
The Deacs advanced to the NCAA Championships with a strong performance in the Stanford Regional, joining 23 other teams tying for the title. Wake Forest made the cut to 15 teams after three rounds and was in pretty good shape to make the cut to eight after the fourth round, after which it would have gone to match play.
"We were disappointed," Lewellen said. "We had a good season and we ended up being ranked well. We wanted to win it all, and we had a team who could do that. We just had a moment in the NCAA Championship where time went fast, and we lost a lot of strokes really quick. It ended short for us. We came home licking our wounds a little bit and disgusted. We want to determine a better strategy next year for that golf course.
"We really did have a team who could win it all, but we have a strong team next season. We know what we're going to be up against next year. It wasn't the course we anticipated. We just need to know we're going to have to play it a little bit differently for that type of golf course versus what we've seen in the past in other championships."
Finishing their careers at Wake Forest are Siyun Liu and Emilia Migliaccio, two of the top collegiate players in the country.
"They made history while they were here, both for the program and as individuals," Lewellen said. "They were great leaders, not just through great play, but through Covid too. They were strong leaders through the good times and the bad. They are going to be missed. Both will be around and have a strong presence they've left on the team that will be remembered."
Lewellen said the team is already focused on taking what they learned from the experience at Grayhawk Golf Club in the NCAA Championships and applying it to make the 2021-22 season even better.
"You lick your wounds, but then you figure it out and get back after it," she said. "Golf is like any sport. You have your days where the stars line up and everything goes for you, then you have those days where it doesn't. Sports teach those life lessons. You figure it out, hug each other and get out there and make those dreams happen.
"We're fortunate that we have fantastic returning players. We had a lot of depth this season. We have four top contenders returning and had many who redshirted. So they will be sprinkled in, as well as two new players coming in — including one who is ranked in the top-30 in the world. She's going to come in and make a big impact. I don't believe we're going to miss a beat and could even be a little bit stronger."
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With collegiate sports shuffled around for the 2020-21 season, the ACC pushed golf tournaments to just the spring semester. Despite no team competitions in the fall, every Demon Deacon got back to campus to prepare for a championship run as part of a deep, talented and experienced golf team.
"We were the number one team when Covid hit and had every single player return in the fall, even though they knew there weren't going to be tournaments then," Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said. "They wanted to practice and get ready to compete for a national championship. That helped give us some relief and direction from Covid, and helped us get through as a strong team. We had a good year. We didn't win the whole thing, but it was a successful season for many reasons."
In the spring, the Demon Deacons claimed The Palmetto Intercollegiate, Big Four Challenge, earned a top seed in the Stanford Regional and then advanced to their third-consecutive NCAA Championship.
Wake Forest women's golf was named Female Team of the Year in the 2021 Black & Golden Globes.
"Every time we teed it up with a high," Lewellen said. "We didn't get to play in the fall. Then with us being ranked so high in the spring when everything shut down, just every time we got to play as a team, we were thrilled to be out there. We never knew if we would be teeing it up again. Were we going to have Covid issues or contact tracing? You just never knew. Every time they were thrilled to be out there."
The challenging and uncertain times that descended upon the team during the early months of the pandemic were countered by an appreciation for Wake Forest and a love of the sport they play.
"I honestly think the commonality of the sport they love and Wake Forest." Lewellen said. "They love Wake Forest and they love the campus. It was a place they found comfort. It's a small community and everyone knows one another. They came together and enjoyed that. It's an outdoor sport, so we were able to practice and share some camaraderie.
"The sport kept them sane during those times through all of this. That kept them close and kept them motivated to keep practicing and working to get better."
The Deacs advanced to the NCAA Championships with a strong performance in the Stanford Regional, joining 23 other teams tying for the title. Wake Forest made the cut to 15 teams after three rounds and was in pretty good shape to make the cut to eight after the fourth round, after which it would have gone to match play.
"We were disappointed," Lewellen said. "We had a good season and we ended up being ranked well. We wanted to win it all, and we had a team who could do that. We just had a moment in the NCAA Championship where time went fast, and we lost a lot of strokes really quick. It ended short for us. We came home licking our wounds a little bit and disgusted. We want to determine a better strategy next year for that golf course.
"We really did have a team who could win it all, but we have a strong team next season. We know what we're going to be up against next year. It wasn't the course we anticipated. We just need to know we're going to have to play it a little bit differently for that type of golf course versus what we've seen in the past in other championships."
Finishing their careers at Wake Forest are Siyun Liu and Emilia Migliaccio, two of the top collegiate players in the country.
"They made history while they were here, both for the program and as individuals," Lewellen said. "They were great leaders, not just through great play, but through Covid too. They were strong leaders through the good times and the bad. They are going to be missed. Both will be around and have a strong presence they've left on the team that will be remembered."
Lewellen said the team is already focused on taking what they learned from the experience at Grayhawk Golf Club in the NCAA Championships and applying it to make the 2021-22 season even better.
"You lick your wounds, but then you figure it out and get back after it," she said. "Golf is like any sport. You have your days where the stars line up and everything goes for you, then you have those days where it doesn't. Sports teach those life lessons. You figure it out, hug each other and get out there and make those dreams happen.
"We're fortunate that we have fantastic returning players. We had a lot of depth this season. We have four top contenders returning and had many who redshirted. So they will be sprinkled in, as well as two new players coming in — including one who is ranked in the top-30 in the world. She's going to come in and make a big impact. I don't believe we're going to miss a beat and could even be a little bit stronger."
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