Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Dr. Donnis Thompson Inv.
Lady Raider Golf Headed to Hawaii
3/11/2005 8:03:00 PM | Women's Golf
Yes, the Lady Raider golf team will make their first trip outside the continental United States when the team travels to Oahu, Hawaii on March 14-16. Middle Tennessee will compete in the Donnis Thompson Invitational, which is hosted by the University of Hawaii.
"Going to Hawaii is a huge recruiting tool because not a lot of schools have the funding to go over there," said Head Coach Rachael Short. "We spent the last year raising the money to help supplement the cost of the trip."
Short and the rest of the Lady Raider golf team worked a lot of games in the concession stand as well as bucks for birdies and pars. The team went to people in their home town and asked them to sponsor them by pledging money for the number of birdies and pars they made.
The trip won't be a once in a program history event for the Lady Raiders. Short is looking to make the trip a bi-annual event.
"I hope to make this type of trip an every other year type of event," Short said. "Maybe go back to Hawaii or to one of the tournaments in the Virgin Islands."
After coming off the high of winning their first tournament, the Lady Raiders are looking to parlay the euphoria into a quality performance in Hawaii. Middle Tennessee will face stiff competition in paradise as other schools scheduled to attend include two teams ranked in the top 50; No. 22 Washington State and No. 46 San Francisco.
"It is going to be a tougher tournament, and there is only 12 teams coming," Short said. "It will be a strong field and hopefully we will be able to place above one of these top 50 schools and move up in the rankings."
Although Middle Tennessee is going to Hawaii to play, Short is making sure the players notice their surroundings as well. The first night they are there, the team is going to a Luau and will also take some time at one of the beaches. The last day they are there, Short is making sure they get a history lesson, as the group will tour Pearl Harbor.
Middle Tennessee returns from paradise to play in its final two tournaments of the season before the Sun Belt Championships. The Lady Raiders will play in the Samford Intercollegiate on March 21-22 and the Southern Miss Invitational on April 4-5. The Sun Belt Championships will be held April 18-20 in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
