As the women's golf team played out its fall season, its goal was continuous improvement. During the off-season, as the team prepared for its spring season, the goal remained the same.
The Cardinals had a rigorous winter workout program, said head coach Shelley Sanders. They worked out three days a week for a total of eight hours, the maximum allowed by the NCAA in the off-season.
They started the off-season spending all eight hours in the gym doing cardiovascular exercises and gradually moved to devoting most of their time to practicing their games.
"I've definitely seen a lot of improvement in the team and the players (in the off-season)," Sanders said. "We've made big strides from last season. We ended well last season and should have a good spring."
The Cardinals' first meet of the season comes during Spring Break. Northern Illinois University will host the Snowbird Intercollegiate in Tampa, Fla., March 14-15. The 36-hole tournament is composed of mostly teams from the northern parts of the country.
The spring season is the team's traditional season. The team's results in the spring will count toward its national and MAC rankings.
"Because this is our first tournament, it's hard to tell how we're going to play," sophomore team captain Lisa Robertson said. "It's going to be a good indication of what we still need to work on. It will get us back in the flow of things."
Sanders said the team has improved its endurance, thanks to the cardiovascular workouts and confidence. She said both will help them improve on the team's success in the fall.
"We're more confident, and we've established more focused practices," Sanders said. "(I hope) that will contribute to lower team totals. If the players believe in themselves more, that can only help our ranking."
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