Think of any well-respected college coach from any sport. Now take that coach -- that Pitino, Stoops or Thomson -- and stick that person in a completely new program.
The team will be comprised of their players and their coaching staff. They'll even be allowed to design the jerseys and gym bags if they want -- it's their show. But no one is likely to fear any of those teams in year one.
The club would be made up entirely of newcomers, likely good ones because of the coaches, but newcomers nonetheless. And it takes more than that to win at the Division I level.
Now skip forward a season. Those "throw 'em to the wolves" freshmen are now seasoned well beyond their second-year status, and all of a sudden other teams start paying attention -- really paying attention.
This is the story of Virginia women's golf: new program, new coach, new players and a year under their belts. The program began last season with the signing of Big South Coach of the Year Jan Mann from UNC-Wilmington. Mann wasted no time bringing in a group of six highly talented freshmen willing to stake their college careers on a coach and a school.
Among those six were 2002 Indiana PGA Junior Golfer of the Year Sally Shonk, 2002 American Junior Golf Association Honorable Mention All-American Rachel Smith and 2002 Kentucky state champion Leah Wigger. Scholastic All-American Lindsay Robinson and All-American twins Kira and Ashley Mayo rounded out the team.
"To attract the top players to a team that has no history is very difficult," Mann said. "What we did our first year was to bring in very strong players and build on that and show recruits that we had a legitimate program our first year."
Overall, the team performed as well as could be expected for a new program, finishing seventh in the ACC and without a tournament victory.
"There wasn't any pressure on us at all to do well," Shonk said. "I think we started making our own expectations, and by the end of the year we were really excited to come back again because we knew we could improve so much over the summer."
If this past summer was any indication of the season to come, that excitement was well justified.Two athletes won their respective state amateur tournaments -- Robinson in West Virginia and Smith in Tennessee -- and last year's All-ACC selection Wigger also had some strong showings.
Not only does it appear that last season's team has improved, but Mann also has brought in 2002 Florida high school champion Lauren Mielbrecht.
Despite the team's development, it will be tested early and often.
"Last year our [tournament] schedule was ranked 33rd in the nation, and this year will be even stronger," Mann said. "I've always been under the philosophy if you want to be the best, you have to play against the best, so we won't ease up."
According to Mann, the team is "confident, hungry and ready to go," and judging by Ashley Mayo's attitude, Mann is right.
"We are definitely going to make it to the NCAA, and we are going to place higher [than last season]," she said.
When it comes to the tough schedule, the confidence keeps coming.
"We like that -- we would much rather go into a hard tournament," Mayo said. "When you beat the really good teams it feels a lot better than if you win and there's not really good competition."
They may be young, but this confident and talented group will likely turn heads in the ACC in the near future. If they don't get attention from teams like 2002 national champion Duke this season, it'll be all the sweeter when they are all veteran juniors and seniors with at least three years experience -- a scary thought for the rest of the country.
Read More
'The Måns Dahlberg show' is kicking into gear, just in time for Virginia’s title chase
By Thomas Baxter | YesterdayHe's one man during the first few months of the season, quite another in the final two.
TILOCK: The real Virginia baseball just stood up
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers' chronic issues are dwindling, and underperforming stars are ascending.
Dietrich’s comeback clincher sends No. 7 seed men’s tennis to NCAA quarterfinals
By Margaret Piatos | 3 days agoFor the 18th time in 20 years, Virginia is headed to the quarterfinals.
