Hawk girls? golf looking to reload in 2015

They are coming off a trip to the state tournament, and it?s going to take every member of the team to get the Mid-Prairie girls? golf team back to Ames in 2015.

With four of the top six golfers graduating from last season, the Hawks are looking to reload in 2015, and with only six girls on the roster, all of them will need to be integral parts of the team.

?We?ve only got six kids, so I?m expecting all of them to contribute,? Mid-Prairie girls? golf head coach Tracy McArtor said. ?Paige Slabaugh and Tiffany Fisher are the two that are brand new, and both of them have a bit of experience coming up, but not a whole lot. In the last week and a half, both of them have improved a whole bunch.?

The two returners from last year?s state tournament team, which picked up a sixth-place finish in Ames, are Allyson Wertz and Olivia Nisly, and both are looking to make sure they are focused heading into the season.

?We just have to practice a lot and take practice seriously,? Nisly, a sophomore, said. ?We have to work hard and help each other.?

With a young team, Wertz, a junior, said it?s important to instill a pattern of patience with the newcomers to the team.

?We need to have patience,? Wertz said. ?We can?t get frustrated with having one bad shot or one bad hole. We have to stay calm and support one another.?

Having the duo at the top of the team has been good for the team, according to McArtor, who said he uses them like coaches on the course.

?It?s going to be really beneficial to have that experience there,? McArtor said. ?(During practice) we can split up a little bit and they can talk them through some of the scenarios you?d expect, not only in local meets, but in tournaments. Having them is like having a couple of extra coaches on the course.?

With a young team, the biggest key for the Hawks will be gaining experience on the course in the early meets.

?It?s just playing time,? McArtor said. ?I have to believe that the two new kids will be so nervous in the first meet, that it will wear on them a little bit. We try to keep it fun and light, and we try to go through the scenarios we?d get into. The biggest thing is, the kids they?ll be playing with will be as nervous as they are.?

With many unknowns heading into the year, Mid-Prairie will be taking the season as it comes, and aren?t putting too many strong expectations on themselves.

?The goals are to do the best we can, and the ultimate goal is to make it to the state meet,? McArtor said. ?Not knowing what the other teams are playing with, you don?t really have any idea how they?ll be. Just from years past, I have an idea of what scores we should shoot and where we?ll need to make adjustments.?

The Hawks will open up their season with a home meet against West Liberty, held at the Kalona Golf Club on Monday.