Winning an individual golf title in a pool of 84 players is impressive, but winning that title in your first tournament is even more remarkable.
That’s what junior Caroline McConnell accomplished at the A-Ga-Ming Invitational hosted by Central Michigan on Sept. 1-2. McConnell was tied with Central Michigan’s Ella Zanatta at 6-over-par 54 after the third round and went into a five-hole playoff with Zanatta. McConnell clinched the individual title and the team title for Bradley with two birdies in the playoff.
“It was definitely really special,” McConnell said. “Personally, I was focused more on the team situation coming down the stretch… I was able to watch one of my teammates finish up on [hole] 18, and you know, she made a good score on that hole for where she had put herself off the tee, and I was just super excited for the team victory.”
McConnell didn’t even realize she was at the top of the leaderboard until after the third round. One of her playing partners for the day notified McConnell that she would be playing in a five-hole playoff.
“I have to credit my teammates for keeping me loose in between the time when I finished my first round to tee-off in the playoff,” McConnell said. “They were making me laugh, playing music, just hanging out, and I was just staying loose, getting ready to go play.”
There’s a bond between the women’s golf team players. McConnell’s chemistry with her teammates was never broken when she committed to play at Michigan State to begin her collegiate career.
McConnell was a student-athlete at South Fayette High School in South Fayette, Pennsylvania, when she visited the Hilltop along with other recruits who are currently on the team and expressed an interest in playing for head coach Halley Morell. Ultimately, McConnell chose to go to East Lansing for her first two seasons, but when she entered her name into the transfer portal, Morell recognized the former recruit and reconnected with McConnell to see if she would be interested in joining the Braves.
“I reached out [to McConnell] and we kind of just reconnected,” Morell, who’s in her sixth season with Bradley, said. “One thing led to another, and she ended up here. So that’s pretty cool.”
McConnell remembered another girl on the team from her recruitment visit who she connected with quickly. That recruit was junior Allison Pacocha, who also recalled the visit with McConnell and how well they clicked.
“She’s just perfect,” Pacocha said. “To meet another accounting major that had a similar personality, and someone that you can just click with immediately is just something that you can’t find many places. So glad I got to meet her and be her teammate now.”
McConnell enjoyed her time as a Spartan and spoke highly about the people in that program, but was looking for a better opportunity to compete and grow her skills as a golfer. She recognized similarities between the two programs in terms of work ethic and talent. The biggest difference McConnell noted between the schools was the contrasting size of classes and campus.
McConnell admitted that she never started her golf career with any inspiration but instead discovered a natural ability to swing the club at a summer camp when she was eight.
“I played a couple of sports growing up, so I didn’t really focus too much on golf until late middle school, early high school, and I just kind of grew from there,” McConnell said.
In just two tournaments thus far, McConnell has shined with her previously mentioned individual title and a sixth-place finish at the Redbird Invitational at Illinois State.
“It definitely boosts my confidence,” McConnell said. “Knowing that the hard work I’ve been putting in is starting to pay off… I have to give credit to my teammates and coach [Morell] for helping me. I mean, they knew more about the courses than I did going into it.”
McConnell’s humility when talking about her early successes sheds light on her personality, and that’s what her teammates and coach admire about her.
“Just listening to her talk about her when she’s very humble and is very considerate of everyone else’s feelings,” Pacocha said. “So I think having that type of personality on this team makes her such a great leader and a role model, or someone that the underclassmen could look up to, especially. She puts in a lot of hard work and dedication, so that shows too.”
Morell credits McConnell’s coachability as her favorite aspect of working with the junior. She also said McConnell “hits the ball consistently the furthest she has ever seen.”
“She really listens well, which is awesome,” Morell said. “She takes, you know, everything that we’re trying to work on … Not only helpful to her teammates with their scores, but with their technique and helping the girls develop as well. So she’s been great on and off the course, and it’s really fun.”
McConnell and the women’s golf team continue their season at the Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Missouri on Sept. 23-24.
