Sophomore Jillian Cosler has taken collegiate golf by storm.
From swinging at the tee at a young age to now traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to compete in the 2025 NCAA Division I Regional competition, Cosler’s story is one of patience and determination.
“My whole family has golfed, they got me into the sport when I was six,” Cosler said. “I tried all the other sports, but golf is the one that stuck. It was something I was good at and enjoyed.”
It didn’t take long for Cosler to see that she made the right decision. By the time she reached high school, she had become dominant. In addition to earning varsity letters every year of her high school career, Cosler was an all-conference selection and a state qualifier all four years.
With such success, Cosler realized the possibility of continuing her passion at the collegiate level. After speaking with head coach Halley Morell and seeing the potential the team held, she decided to compete for the Braves.
“She [Coach Morell] was supportive of me from the moment I started talking to her,” Cosler reminisced. “She was probably the biggest part of my decision, she praised Bradley and made it sound super enjoyable, and it’s been great since I’ve been here.”
Since joining the team, Morell has helped Cosler through thick and thin. Not only did it help her improve her performance, but it’s also improved her mental aptitude on and off the green.
“This spring was a bit of a rollercoaster,” Morell said. “There were some really good rounds and some rounds that weren’t so great. Just working through knowing that she was putting in all the hard work and to see it pay off and culminate with a great conference championship and her first trip to regionals has been pretty cool.”
Freshman Peyton Coburn expressed her admiration for her fellow teammate through the memories made in the season.
“We were in the playoff together at our home tournament,” Coburn said. “Even though we should have been freaking out, we were just literally dancing on the first tee before we teed off.”
The same dedication Cosler puts into the game is reflected in the classroom and on campus, as she is a member of Bradley’s “Best Buddies” club and maintains a 4.0 GPA.
Cosler is the seventh Brave who has won a Missouri Valley Conference Championship in golf and is the first MVC Individual Champion since 2014.
“Goodness, what emotions didn’t I experience?” Cosler said about the competition. “Towards the end, I had my head in a little bit of a square like, ‘oh I’m playing pretty solid, probably keep this up.’”
Having the support of her coach, teammates and family keeps her motivated and in high spirits as she hopes to continue her success for the rest of her career.
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