One of the two captains on the golf team is Senior Sophia Martin. She placed top ten in districts last season and is now a senior leader. She shared how she balances academics and handling the pressure of being a team leader.

“Academics is always my top priority,” Martin said. “I think in order to be a good leader I have to set the example of being on top of all of my work, if the team sees I can’t valence my golf and school life it doesn’t make them want to work hard to stay on top of it.”

Head coach Jered Hellman has been leading the team to success all the years he has been coaching. He explained what qualities Martin possesses that make her an effective captain.

“Sophia is very passionate and has a wonderful demeanor, and she is one of the hardest-working athletes that we have in the classroom and on the course,” Hellman said. “Sophia’s energy is contagious; she is not afraid to speak her mind when she is with teammates and coaches. She watched Carly Bea lead us last year, soaked up our culture, embarrassed it, thrived in it, and has never looked back. She knows we have a special group, and she has gone above and beyond for our program.”

Martin transferred from Marian and plays not only golf but is also on the varsity tennis team. She expressed her most memorable moment on the golf course and a professional golfer that she looks up to and why.

“My most memorable moment of the golf course was winning districts in a playoff,” Martin said. “Nelly Korda is my favorite professional golfer, her drive and work ethic inspire me to put in more effort.”

Hellman has been coaching Martin and explained how she has grown as a player and leader over the years.

“As a player Sophia has improved all aspects of her game,” Hellman said. “Sophia has put in the time, effort, and commitment to do what it takes in this game to reach the top of her class, Her role as a leader is vastly changed this season,  I was well aware that she was a natural leader, had experiences at her former school that she valued and knew her teammates would love, and that her Junior season wasn’t always sunshine and unicorns for her.”

With new teammates on her side, the girls golf team had one of their highest finishes last season which was a big accomplishment for the school.

“However, she melded with her teammates; they respected her and her game, and she was part of a really good golf team that had our highest finish since 1990,” Hellman said.  “This season, she gets to be a bigger part of the process with myself and Addie; they get choices in our different uniforms, what we do for team events and help me in countless ways.”

Hellman helps the team but the girls also lend a helping hand to him.

“I lean on them,” Hellman said “We have built trust, they know what I value and what our program stands for, and they, in turn, keep our team together, like-minded and focused on our process, and know the outcomes will follow. She values this responsibility and I am blessed to have her.”

This will be Martin’s final season of high school golf and she shared how being part of the team shaped her high school experience.

“Being part of the team introduces you to even more people you never would have met,” Martin said. “I’ve made so many friends through golf that otherwise I never would have met.”

No one always has perfect games and there can be multiple obstacles that as an athlete you have to learn to overcome. Hellman expressed how Martin handles challenging situations or setbacks during matches.

“This is the area that I feel Sophia has grown the most and will continue to grow as this season progresses and she gets comfortable in her role as one of our Leaders,” Hellman said.

Golf is not only physically challenging but mentally and Martin has been training both parts to achieve what she hopes for.

“As I have mentioned about Sophia, she expects excellence, and golf is the most humbling game on the planet,” Hellman said. “Professionals miss the green 50% of the time from 120 yards, yet she wants to hit it every time, She’s worked hard at managing her expectations, excepting that her best that day was good enough, and if she trusts the process and continues to work at the level she has, she has some amazing rounds ahead of her this season.”