Centre College/Reily Rogers Photo
Freshman golfer Nina McMurtrey is more stressed about missing some of her finals than the competition she will face in the Division III National Championships in Orlando.
“I met with my professors about having to miss some finals because we will be in Orlando for a week,” said the Centre College freshman from Glasgow. “I took on a little heavier course load this semester and that makes exam week a little more difficult but I know everything will work out.”
Everything worked out well at the Southern Athletic Association Conference Championship in Dickson, Tenn., when she led the Colonels to a third-straight SAA championship with a record-setting performance. She had rounds of 70-74-71 for a 215 total that broke the conference scoring record by two shots.
“I feel like I played pretty well. I had been struggling hitting fairways and had been only hitting 3-wood off the tee. I went home and got a lesson from my swing coach at Olde Stone (golf course) that helped me immensely,” she said. “It was more mechanical than mental and once I got that straightened out, everything just clicked at the right time at conference because I was a little more confident in my game.”
She said the team is “super excited” to be going to nationals after playing in the wind and rain at the SAA Championship. However, McMurtrey felt the “windy” spring conditions the team had played in this year helped at conference.
“Every qualifier, every practice it seems we had played in the wind,” she said. “So the bad weather may have actually been an advantage for us but we are all happy to be going to Orlando where the weather should be much better.”
She admits she did not play “my best” for most of the spring season and did not perform to her own high expectations. However, she’s “peaking” at the right time going into the national championship.
“Make no mistake, I always intend to win. I don’t know if that is realistic (at the national championship), but I intend to put up the best scores I can and see what happens,” McMurtrey said. “As unrealistic as the expectation might be, I always expect to win.”
She has leaned on senior teammate Meaghan Grant for advice on and off the golf course all year.
“She has kind of been my mentor. She has done this for four years and has coached me through a lot of things, including how to cope with missing finals,” McMurtrey said. “She has been so helpful and such a good friend and teammate. Golf is pretty time heavy and at one point this season we only got Sundays off and even then sometimes on Sundays we would be traveling. Time management is important and she also helped me with that.”
McMurtrey’s sister, Makena, is a senior at Centre College who is finishing her degree at Centre while also completing Air Force ROTC training at the University of Kentucky. Makena, who speaks three languages, will be commissioned in San Antonio as soon as she graduates this month.
“There are no words to describe how much I appreciate her. She helps me make my class schedule, takes me to the grocery story and is just my No. 1 fan. I am so happy I got a year in college with her even though she is incredibly busy with the schedule she has,” the Centre freshman said.
Nina McMurtrey is anxious to see how she fares at the national championship but knows she has grown as a player since arriving at Centre College.
“I don’t think my golf game has changed but I think I am a better player because of being put under more pressure,” she said. “My experiences and confidence have gone up since I have been under the spotlight more in college. More people are watching. There are no easy matches. Nothing is guaranteed. Those experiences have just made me better.”
One Response
Great write up