Elmhurst University women’s golf team tees off their record breaking season

The Elmhurst University women’s golf team has already made their mark on the Oak Brook Golf Club, practicing on the course at 6 a.m. sharp on a chilly Thursday morning.

“Mentally, this wakes me up,” said Lindsey O’Donnell. 

For most college students, waking up at five a.m. is not a decision they would want to make, but these golfers have grown fond of this lifestyle and their team. 

“We fight like sisters, we love like sisters, and we support each other like sisters,” said Rachel Fratt.

The Elmhurst Women’s Golf team is co-captained by junior Rachel Fratt, Head Graphics Editor for The Leader, and senior Taylor Fuchs. 

The team also consists of freshman Emily Roberts, sophomores Mia Bernasol, Regan Bobich, and Morgan Keller, junior Lindsey O’Donnell, senior Zha Zha Davis, and graduate student Kailey Godfrey. 

Some of these women started golf as a way to bond with their fathers. What was initially a fun hobby soon turned into a serious passion, and they knew that playing in college was something on their radar.

“My dad works in the industry, so he introduced me to it, and through there it has been a way for me and my dad to bond,” said Keller. 

For others, it was a way to prove something to themselves and try something new. 

“Once I start something, I can’t not be good at it, so now I am here breaking personal and school records,” said Bobich.

The team has already begun breaking records in their first couple tournaments. In the team’s first meet of the year, Bobich broke the school’s record for a two day score; she beat her record from last year, advancing from 162 to 156.

In the same tournament, the team placed third overall and set a new record for the school’s two day score by shooting a 663, which was 6 strokes better than the previous record. 

As well as breaking records, the team placed first in the Governors State Invite held on Sept. 7, with a collective team total of 330. 

Helping guide the team towards their success is head coach Melissa Schwab and assistant coach Mike Gruber, who both took over the team last year; Schwab started in the fall and Gruber in the spring.

For Schwab, coaching is always something they have been interested in, starting their time at EU as a part-time assistant for the Women’s Basketball Program. 

“I knew I wanted to become full-time in coaching because of the positive influence and impact coaches have on student-athletes,” said Schwab.  “Once fall 2021 came around the former Head Women’s Golf and Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach resigned and without any hesitation, I knew I wanted to apply for the position.”

For Gruber, he wanted to make sure that he was still doing something that he loved during his retirement. After obtaining his teaching certification from the United States Golf Teaching Federation (USGTF) he found his position at Elmhurst with the help of his son.

“My son who played golf in the CCIW at North Central currently is the Assistant Womens’ Basketball coach at UW Parkside in Kenosha” said Gruber.  “He knows a lot of coaches in the conference so I asked him if he knows of [anyone] that is looking for someone to be a technical coach to help either the men or women, I would be very interested.”

“A couple of weeks later he told me Todd at Elmhurst was looking for one and I should call him.  I did and we had a great conversation and he hired me in last September – a dream come true.”

The growth the team has experienced together has multiplied immensely with the addition of these two coaches.

Photo by- Ryan Windle

“I love them, I feel like they are way more personable, and I feel like I am more friendly with them,” said Keller. “I feel like they are more concerned with my needs other than golf, which I really respect.”

“They have a good balance,” stated O’Donnell. “Mike helps us more with our swings, and Schwab helps with motivating and uplifting [the team]. They both level each other out really nice.”

Making sure that the team practices together, and not individually, is something new that the two coaches have implemented on their team. While each member still practices on their own time, having team practices has helped build morale and create a more supportive team culture.

“If they aren’t playing the back-9 at 6:30 am during the week, you will certainly find them at the putting/chipping greens or driving range,” said Schwab. “Additionally, they love to go back to Oak Brook Golf Club, our home course, in the afternoon to work on more specific aspects of their game.”

Gruber commends the teamwork that the team has displayed, and is proud to be a part of a team that is so supportive of one another. 

“I’ve played on a lot of teams in my day in many sports and I have not seen a group this close in the support they provide for each other,” said Gruber. “They really have a strong work ethic.”

Even in their early-morning practices, the support the women have for one another shows. Walking from hole to hole, the team often shares funny stories about their lives, or they talk about the latest social media trend that they want to do as a team. 

While the atmosphere is fun, there still is a focus that is evident in practices. Once someone steps up to the tee box, the team gets back to the task at hand and has a razor focus on each member’s move. 

Each shot is met with a variety of responses from the team, ranging from “nice shot” to a scream of joy when someone hits a 200 yard straight drive.

As they walk up to their next ball, the conversations shift to the next play, what the best move is to make. The women become each other’s coaches at that moment, which allows Schwab and Gruber to catch up with each player. 

The time and effort that these women put in is a huge reason why they already have been out performing and becoming a successful team for EU this year, even though at times they may feel like they are not being received as well as they should be for their accomplishments. 

Sometimes, the golf team feels that other students at EU are not aware of the team’s existence. 

“I tell people I’m on the women’s golf team and they are like ‘oh we have that?” said O’Donnell. 

“Lately, we are getting a little bit more attention because of the record breaking, that we deserve, but it still is not enough,” said Keller. “As a team, and what we are doing, we deserve more than the credit that we get.” 

With a strong start to the season, all eyes should be on this team to see what they accomplish next, and to commend them for bringing attention to the golf scene at EU.

Photo by- Ryan Windle