| Mesa women tee-off
Golfers impressive on and off course
Benjamin Buettner
Mesa Legend
The Mesa Community College women’s
golf team looks forward to a run at the National Junior College
Athletic Association National Title in 2005. With hard work on and
off the course, maintaining a 3.37 team grade point average, MCC
women’s golf maintains the discipline that head coach John
Guerrero demands.
Ranked fifth nationally, the women return 2004 NJCAA All-American
Olivia Campos (3.9 GPA), who signed a letter of intent to play for
Illinois State. Marylou Starr (3.8 GPA), an honorable mention NJCAA
All-American, returns as well and is trying to decide where to play
her final two years, with an offer from Washington State University
among other colleges. Both women are Dobson High School products.
Guerrero instructed both Campos and Starr at Dobson Ranch Golf Course
in high school dating back to their freshmen years. Guerrero said
he has a very close relationships to his players, which probably
led to getting another recruit from Stockholm, Sweden.
Sara Falkenberg (4.0 GPA), was a foreign exchange student at Dobson
High and was also instructed by Guerrero for a year. Falkenberg
returned to her native Sweden for her senior year in high school
and is now coming from Sweden to play for MCC. As spectacular as
the proven Campos and Starr are, Guerrero says Falkenberg is every
bit as good.
“These three girls will place in the top five in every single
tournament,” Guerrero said, to give an idea of how good the
girls are.
With the talent that these three girls have, in addition to the
other three promising girls on the team, Guerrero feels this is
a special year. “If we play hard and smart, I feel this year
is the best chance for us to win a national championship,”
said Guerrero.
Guerrero is very proud of his team and their dedication on and off
the course. It is not unusual for each player to spend 30 hours
a week on the course. “I think we work harder than anyone
else in the conference because they are mature enough to know how
much time and effort it takes. And I think we should take pride
in that,” said Guerrero.
The women’s golf team has their first tournament Feb. 7 and
8 in the South Mountain Invitational at Aguila Golf Course in Laveen,
Ariz., at 11 a.m.
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