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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Hard Work Awaits Hopeful Rebels This Winter
11/3/2016 | Women's Golf
The Ole Miss women's golf team is through with its four-tournament fall season, and now with the goal of NCAA Regionals firmly in their minds, the Rebels look forward to the all-important winter offseason.
"Regionals is the big-picture objective for us," said head coach Kory Henkes. "We just have to stay true to ourselves and work on the little things. If everyone can improve upon their little weaknesses, that's going to help the team overall. You can just focus on your daily effort and what you put into practice. We're going to be diligent about that throughout the spring."
For Henkes and assistant coach Drew Belt, the process of improvement begins with individual meetings with all eight of their student-athletes. From additional repetitions in the short game to swing alterations, the Rebels are going to break down every area where they can enhance their game, and hopefully shave strokes off their individual and team scores.
Then, it's up to them to put in the work. With women's golf out of season, student-athletes are limited to just eight hours per week for practice and training with the team.
"As far as this offseason goes, it's going to just boil down to how hard the girls work. We're now in the eight-hour time period, so we, as coaches, can only do so much with them," Henkes said. "So it's a matter of them taking it upon themselves to keep pushing themselves during the offseason to be ready for the spring."
After a competitive fall, Ole Miss should have plenty of motivation going into the off period. Six of eight Rebels appeared on the team's travel roster through the first four tournaments. The Rebels used that depth to finish in the top 10 of each event, closing with their best finish of the season -- a fourth-place result at the Palmetto Intercollegiate in Kiawah Island, South Carolina last week.
Junior Katy Harris, who transferred to Ole Miss from Mercer last spring, provided the individual highlight of the last two months. She captured a thrilling one-stroke win in Kiawah Island over Coastal Carolina junior Malene Krolboll Hansen, who is currently No. 29 in Golfweek.com's individual rankings.
"Overall, we had a pretty good fall season. The lineup changed a good bit throughout the fall, which is a good thing. That means they're pushing each other and really fighting for those final spots in the lineup," Henkes said. "it was nice to end at Kiawah with a fourth-place finish and with Katy having a win. That was a positive to end on."
With wind in their sails, the Rebels appear ready for the coming spring. The tight-knit group has high hopes for success in the SEC Championships in late April, as well as a berth in the NCAA Regionals from May 8-10. Plenty of hard work stands between Ole Miss and making it to May, but Henkes believes her group has what it takes.
"Overall, the team chemistry is great," Henkes said. "They're always supporting and pushing each other. Even when we're on the road, the players who didn't travel are at home, still showing support every day to their teammates and wishing them luck."
The Rebels have also found themselves wishing plenty of luck to the team across the hallway at the Ole Miss golf house. The Ole Miss men's golf team closed its fall season Tuesday night with a win in Hawaii-its third team victory in five tournaments this year.
"We've been getting motivated by the men's team playing so awesome this fall," Henkes said. "I think that filters into the vibe that we have around the golf house, because it is a golf program, not just men's and women's golf. It's been really impressive to watch them this fall."
The day before their third win, the Ole Miss men appeared at No. 25 in the Golfstat rankings. The women's team came in at No. 60 this week, suggesting potential for a regional berth. It comes as the team's highest ranking since the arrival of Henkes and Belt last season and the highest for the program since the 2013 season, which is when the program last Reached the NCAA regionals. So after some good times this fall, the potential for greatness awaits in the spring.
"The rankings aren't final for the fall, but we're ranked 60th currently, and that's a huge improvement from just over a year ago when we started," Henkes said. "So we're really excited about the future."
For all Ole Miss women's golf news and information, go to OleMissSports.com, and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWGolf and Facebook at Ole Miss Women's Golf.
Players Mentioned
