Four rounds at this week’s NCAA championship tournament in Owings Mills, Md., will determine whether the University of Denver women’s golf team can improve upon its sixth-place finish of a year ago.
But DU coach Sammie Chergo is certain of one thing: Her team will compete as hard as any team out there in the tournament that begins Tuesday.
That’s how Chergo coaches. That’s who she recruits. DU’s roster is filled with all-around athletes who have excelled at several sports and know what it takes to succeed.
“That’s kind of become our ‘brand,’ ” Chergo said. “Our top players are some of the most competitive kids that we’ve ever had. On days when they’re not playing as well as they’d like to, they still have that competitive gear to switch to. They can turn their ‘B’ game into their ‘A’ game just because they’re so competitive.”
It should come as no surprise that Chergo seeks out golfers with athletic backgrounds. That’s what she sees in the mirror. At Arvada West High School, Chergo earned all-state honors in softball, basketball and soccer and, as a senior, was named Colorado’s female prep athlete of the year by USA Today. She did not take up golf until her freshman year at Colorado State and ended up lettering three years.
Dawn Shockley, a senior, twice earned all-state honors in golf at Estes Park High School but was known more for her accomplishments in basketball and cross country (Class 3A individual state champion as a freshman).
Hard work on the links paid off May 9 in Gainesville, Fla., when Shockley earned medalist honors and led DU to the East Regional title.
“When I recruited Dawn, I saw somebody that was athletic but very, very raw, both physically and emotionally,” Chergo said. “I knew she would compete. It was a matter of maturing and learning to play golf. It’s fun to see what she’s doing now.”
Shockley has maintained a workout regimen and believes conditioning can give her an edge.
“And having been in basketball and transferring that to golf, I’ve had the sensation of winning,” she said.
DU’s highest-ranked player, junior Stephanie Sherlock (No. 20 by Golfweek), grew up playing hockey in her hometown of Barrie, Ontario. She also was the starting point guard for her high school basketball team. Sherlock said competing in other sports helped her cope with adversity.
“When I was young and I started out with a double bogey and bogey or something, it would just become a bad day,” Sherlock said. “Now when I have a bad hole, it’s easier to forget about it. You learn how to handle it.”
DU players compete each time they get together. Chergo sets up chipping contests, putting contests and up-and-down contests. Sometimes the roster is divided between its American players and foreign-born players for Ryder Cup-like competitions, with the two teams wearing different “uniforms.”
“You don’t like losing,” said Sarah Faller, a freshman from Galway, Ireland, who earned regional honors in basketball and team handball. “You don’t like losing to anyone. You don’t like losing to your teammates in practice. It just pushes everyone harder.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
28th NCAA women’s golf championship
72 holes, Tuesday through Friday
Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mills, Md.
* Third straight championship appearance for DU.
* DU’s best finish: Tie for sixth, 2008.
* DU’s 2009 seeding: One of three teams seeded No. 1 as a regional winner, along with UCLA and Arizona State.
* DU’s national ranking: No. 13 (Golfweek)
* DU’s national top-100 players: Junior Stephanie Sherlock (No. 20 by Golfweek), senior Dawn Shockley (No. 49), senior Katie Kempter (No. 72).
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
