Jenna Hague could have played hockey.
“I was thrown on skates at a pretty young age, and I was actually looking at coming to the states to play hockey when I was young,” Hague said.
Instead she became one of the best golfers in Mid-American Conference history.
The Ball State senior golfer first played at her local course in Burlington, Ontario with her father.
“I began actually taking [golf] seriously and began tournaments at about 13,” she said. “It began as, ‘All right, let’s see if I can break 100, then how about 90, then 80,’ and once I did that the potential to play golf in the states became a reality.”
It wasn’t until she traveled 438 miles that she got her shot.
Katherine Mowat, head coach of the Ball State women’s golf team, recruited Hague during a U.S. junior golf tournament in West Lafayette, Ind.
“I was really impressed by her swing,” Mowat said. “Even though she didn’t make the cut, she had a very athletic swing and she was a sweet girl.”
It was actually Hague who approached her future coach after noticing Mowat was watching her play. Hague knew Mowat was also from Burlington, and used that to break the ice.
“I said ‘Hi, my name is Jenna, I know a friend of yours. I’m from Burlington as well,’” Hague said. “And it went from there.”
Once the recruitment was complete, Hague had an immediate impact at Ball State. In her freshman year she won three titles, including the Mid-American Conference Championship. She was also named the Ball State Freshman of the Year and received the Ball State Elizabeth A. Dunn Most Inspirational Award.
The success caused Hague to feel some pressure entering her sophomore campaign.
“I didn’t want to suffer the sophomore slump and I didn’t want to be known as a one-hit wonder,” Hague said.
Mowat tried to take some pressure off.
“A little bit after she medaled at the MAC Championships, I saw a bit of a change in her swing,” Mowat said. “I helped her as much as I could with the change into being someone who is in contention.”
Since then, Hague has added three additional titles to her list of accomplishments, and is one of only two Ball State golfers to be named to the All-MAC First Team twice.
She has also been named an All-America Scholar for three consecutive years and has been named Ball State Golfer of the Year the last two years. She holds three separate Ball State records for 18-hole score (66), 54-hole score (214), and single-season scoring average (74.34).
“I’ve seen her go from someone who seemed uncomfortable at the top and not sure what to do, to someone who is used to it now and is very relaxed in that position,” Mowat said.
Though golf has become a huge part of her life, Hague is not looking too far ahead.
“I love golf and I’ll continue to play [at an amateur level],” she said. “For now my goal is getting my master’s degree.”
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