?Little freshman? making big impact

When stepping onto the golf course, it might be easy to overlook Sarah Nacos.

The Washington freshman isn?t tall, and she describes herself as ?tiny,? but when that first tee shot flies off into the distance, it won?t be easy to forget her.

Nacos has made an immediate impact for the Washington girls? golf team in her first varsity year, earning meet medalist honors in all four of the team?s meets this season.

Included in those first four scores were a nine-hole round of 36 in her first meet out, and then a personal-best 34 in the second round of her varsity career.

All of this has helped her team to an early 4-0 record in meets this season.

?I didn?t expect to start out as well as I did,? Nacos said. ?Obviously you expect to play well, but there were some low scores there and it was a confidence builder. As you keep going, your confidence builds and you expect yourself to keep doing well now. I expected to get in the 30s at some point this year, but to do it in the first tournament was nice.?

With strong performances early in the season, Nacos has been playing in the top group all year, and she said she still can get a little intimidated playing with the juniors and seniors from other schools.

?They?ll ask how old you are, and I?ll say I?m a freshman,? Nacos said. ?When you look at me, I?m tiny, so they aren?t probably going to be intimidated by me because I?m just a little freshman. I think I?m more intimidated by them sometimes.?

Nacos? immediate impact hasn?t come as a surprise to her head coach, who pointed to her previous exploits in junior tournaments as a sign that she?s had this ability for a long time.

?She?s done very well, no question about that,? Washington girls? golf head coach Leonard Kull said. ?This isn?t her first rodeo. She?s played for some time in a competitive environment. She?s gone to a lot of tournaments and has learned well. She?s developed a very nice swing and it has served her well that she can duplicate it when things get tough.?

Those previous tournaments have helped the freshman gain experience on the course, but for Nacos, golf hasn?t always been a purely competitive affair.

For about as long as she can remember, she?s been around the game of golf, if not playing it.

?My whole family golfs,? Nacos said. ?My dad and my mom?s side of the family and my grandpa golfed until he was 90 years old. When I was 4 years old, I was out on the golf course with my parents and my family, because that?s what we thought was fun. I?ve been doing it forever.?

After losing the top golfer from a state-bound team last season, Nacos might just be the shot in the arm the Demons needed to return to Ames in 2015, and it didn?t take long for her to fit in, according to Kull.

?Just the demeanor of Sarah, she?s very unassuming and a quiet leader, she?s really stepped in and it?s way past (the team) accepting her,? Kull said. ?They try to emulate her, and the way she approaches the game. Since they?ve been doing that, they?ve had success individually, and team-wise we are growing by leaps and bounds.?

While the young Demon has been impressing with her individual scores, she credited her teammates for helping ease her into the transition of high school golf.

?If you have a bad shot, they are always there to tell you, ?It?s OK,?? Nacos said. ?They are very supportive. They don?t see you as a freshman and they treat you as an equal. It?s amazing.?

With a perfect start to the season, the Demons are keeping the expectations on what is right in front of them, the conference season. That doesn?t mean the team doesn?t occasionally glance ahead to the ultimate goal in Ames, though.

?We are starting off really strong right now, so state is definitely in reach for us,? Nacos said. ?We want to keep playing well, we want to do well in these tournaments, especially in conference. Once we get past the conference schedule, we?ll start focusing more on state. We are a pretty good golf team right now, being 4-0, and maybe the other teams are gunning for us.?

Nacos and the Demons will be active again on Monday afternoon, when they play a meet against Iowa City West, Regina and Tipton at Brown Deer Golf Course in Coralville.