When people look back on the 2009-10 women’s golf season, they may very well see it as a turning point in the program’s history. Under first-year head coach Ria Quiazon, the team bulldozed through postseason play, making it all the way to the NCAA Championships and finishing tied for 23rd overall.
What casual observers might not see is a crucial turning point within the season itself. The feeling is unanimous among Quiazon and team members alike that the tenor of the year changed during the Pacific-10 Conference Championships. The tournament was held on home turf at Eugene Country Club, and the Ducks came out loose and relaxed.
“I think we were just having fun,” freshman Cheyenne Hickle said. “(We wanted to) just try and go out there and play our game, just play the way we knew how.”
As a result, Oregon placed third overall, the best finish in the program’s history. From there, the Ducks only continued their remarkable run. The NCAA Central Regional in Columbus, Ind., came next, where the team battled rough conditions for a sixth-place finish.
That performance earned Oregon a spot at the NCAA Championships. Though a tie for 23rd (out of 24 total teams) may have been less than ideal, Quiazon maintains even having the opportunity to compete was an honor.
“Obviously, getting there was a really big accomplishment,” Quiazon said. “We had to say to ourselves that there are 240 other Division I programs that would rather be in our shoes.”
The experience was also invaluable for freshmen like Hickle, who found out early what it feels like to compete on the county’s biggest stage.
“I just went in there thinking I have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Hickle said. “Just go in it for the experience, and I had fun.”
Fun proved to be the operative word for a team that came together very quickly throughout the season. For her part, Quiazon was impressed with the chemistry the Ducks displayed in her first year at the helm.
“Any time you add new people to a team or a group, there’s going to be some things you have to learn, like trust and respect,” Quiazon said. “I felt like as the year went on we’ve really developed that within the team.”
Hickle saw much of the same. Being a freshman from Arizona, she didn’t know what to expect when she arrived in Eugene at the beginning of the year. She was quickly comforted by the welcoming nature of the team.
“They were all just great,” Hickle said. “Welcoming me in from Arizona, not knowing anyone here, just having them was great.”
Further raising excitement for next year as this season comes to a close is the fact that Oregon is a fairly young team. Only two players, Kate Hildahl and Felicia Eastick, are seniors, and the Ducks return many core players including Hickle, junior Kendra Little,
sophomore Ashley Edwards, and junior Erica Omlid.
Little’s return will be especially key, as the ever-improving junior will likely come back stronger than ever next year. Indeed, Quiazon sees this season as just a building block toward much better accomplishments.
“Some of the things we accomplished through this whole year are the reasons why I am so passionate about this job,” Quiazon said. “I know what Oregon women’s golf has done in the last 10 years isn’t our potential. I think finishing third at Pac-10s, making it through regionals, and making it to nationals was just the tip of some great things to come for this program. I’m really excited.”
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