After wrapping up their fall season last month, the Simpson men and women’s golf teams have moved into the offseason. 

The women’s team finished off the season shooting their lowest team score on the last day of the conference championships and are looking to build off their success moving into the spring.

The men’s team struggled with injuries this season and focused on getting everyone healthy during the winter. 

Maddy Streicher, a freshman on the women’s golf team, had a great first season. 

“[This season] I made some amazing connections with my teammates and had fun putting in the work to make positive strides. I’m looking forward to growing as a golfer over the next four years,” Streicher said. 

The year has been all about readjustment for the golf team. One of those readjustments comes from the addition of a new head coach, former assistant director of admissions Jeremy Johnson. 

Adjusting to a new coaching role in addition to helping with athletic events and being the new athletic recruitment coordinator for Simpson Athletics kept Coach Johnson busy during the fall, but he was still able to have a successful season despite the challenges. 

“The fall season was extremely exciting. It was great to get to know the players on both the men’s and women’s teams. I have some high expectations for this program in the coming years. It was nice to know I have players that want to put in the hard work to reach the goals we have set for this program,” Johnson said. 

Johnson played a big role in improving the golf team this season. The rosters for both teams are larger than they have been in recent years, and the team now has access to a new indoor practice facility. Coaches and players are hoping the improvements made this season will help in future recruitment. 

According to Lucas Hemphill, one of the captains of the men’s golf team, one of the biggest improvements made this season has been in team chemistry. 

“Coach Johnson has been working like crazy to build a great team culture on both the men’s and women’s teams,” Hemphill said. “It’s great to see both teams getting along so well and doing things together. As one of the team captains, I was pretty pleased with what I saw this fall from my teammates.”

The Simpson golf team will be preparing for the upcoming spring season by continuing to build off the momentum of the fall season. With the addition of the new indoor facility, the team is looking to continue making strides.

“The results may not show yet, but we are miles ahead of where we were even just a year ago. Between all of the hard work the team is doing in the gym and in the indoor practice facility, I predict a big improvement this spring compared to last spring. I only see good things ahead … and I’m very excited to see what the spring season has in store,” Hemphill said.