JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman women's golf team will tee off on its fall season on Monday in Greenwood, South Carolina, at the Fall Kick Off, marking the Eagles' head coaching debut for first-year head coach Bo Harris.
Harris, introduced as C-N's new head coach in late August, had to quickly adjust to his new position to prepare the team for the fall. Harris has seen a lot from his new team in a short period and knows the potential is there.
"We have a tremendous amount of talent," Harris said. "We've had the chance to have a few qualifiers, and I think the cream is rising to the top… I feel really confident that they're going to be able to step up… I expect a pretty good showing for the first tournament of the year."
In his first couple of weeks, Harris has seen a lot from his team, especially in the leadership department. For a team with experience and youth, Harris appreciates the leadership of his older players.
"Ida Petersen has really stepped up and taken a strong leadership role," Harris said. "The golf is key, but to be able to show leadership outside of the golf course between workouts, the classroom, practice, all of the above… The girls are catching on."
Despite the course being unfamiliar to C-N, Harris has conducted research to gather an idea of how the Eagles should attack it during the first two rounds on Monday.
"I've been doing a lot of research on the yardage books," Harris said. "We have one of the longest teams in the country in terms of driving distance, so that is really going to benefit us. This course is set up longer than most of the other tournaments we'll be at, so I think that will certainly play to our advantage."
With a new season set to get underway, Harris knows it won't be perfect, but he wants to see resilience through the inevitable adversity in the season's first tournament.
"I want to see us not give up," Harris said. "Something we all know in golf is that adversity is guaranteed to hit you in the face every round… Monday is going to be a marathon, playing 36 straight holes, so just hydrate and rest Monday night and finish it out on Tuesday."
The Eagles will tee off on the fall season on Monday at 8 AM in Greenwood, South Carolina.
For updates throughout the fall season, visit cneagles.com and follow us on social media @cn_eagles.
