Georgia Southern women's golf is coming off one of the best seasons in program history securing its highest ranking to date at No. 52 while also taking a second place finish at the Sun Belt Conference Championship but fourth year head coach Mimi Burke is looking to lead the Eagles through one of the toughest schedules in the country and on a deep postseason run during the 2024-25 season.
"Last season going into the Sun Belt Championship we had the expectations of being the number one seed coming out of stroke play, but being able to make it to the final match was a great feat in its own," Coach Burke said. "It's something that we don't take lightly to make it to final matches. Unfortunately, we came up short there and we were not able to close it out. But, that is something that is going to keep us hungry going into this year for the Sun Belt Championship.'
Georgia Southern returns last season's Sun Belt Golfer and Freshman of the Year, Louise Reau, who put together one of the best freshman campaigns in program history after making a postseason run of her own.
The Beziers, France native earned an at-large bid to the Bermuda Run NCAA Regional, which was a first in program history. Reau led the Eagles in scoring average (71.88), rounds of par or better, rounds played, and birdies. She secured two tournament titles at The Southern and Edisto Island Invitational while adding another top-5 finish and three more top-10 finishes to her resume.
"It was a great honor for Louise to get an at-large bid to regionals - the first time in program history. It's a major accomplishment no matter how you chalk it up. Getting there and playing how she did was unbelievable, she played great golf and was two spots off of qualifying for nationals. She is doing all the right things and we are playing the right schedule to get our players where they need to be. I am excited for her coming into the year off of such a strong run at regionals while also qualifying to be on the French national team."
Additionally, the Eagles return four student-athletes in second-team All-Sun Belt selection Regina Plascencia, sophomore Avery Robinson, redshirt senior Abbey Schimpf, and senior Karlee Vardas. The squad was also bolstered in the offseason with the addition of UGA transfer LoraLie Cowart and freshmen duo Kelsey Chen and Mary Miller.
"Everybody has great energy together." Burke said. "That is kind of how we recruit. We want to recruit people that we want to be around that match Mia [Kness] and I's vibe, which is fun to see because you can kind of see how everyone meshes together in their own unique way even when they are from a different country. In the recruiting process we focus on finding great players first but also the relationship piece. We try to make sure we are creating like-minded people and making sure that we can be a unit. This team is fun, loving, and hardworking."
During the offseason, the Eagles continued to push themselves over the summer as they each competed in several tournaments to individually improve their games.
"All of our girls really love the game of golf." Coach Burke said. "They went into the summer with three to six tournaments to play and all kept working during the summer. They kept their heads down and worked hard so that is definitely going to help us going into this year."
This season, Burke has put together a strong 2024-25 competition schedule for the Eagles in both the fall and spring seasons including trips to one of the premier tournaments at Yeamans Hall and several match play events in the spring.
"Our schedule, I would say, is one of the best schedules around the country." Coach Burke said, "We hit some really tough fields this season. It is the first year of the .500 rule, our first event isn't as strong of a field but it will be nice to have a good cushion of wins to start the year going into these stronger tournaments."
With the introduction of match play into the 2024 Sun Belt Championships, Coach Burke has added additional match play opportunities for the team to gain experience in preparation for the postseason.
"We are going to focus a little more on that match play piece, whether that be through practice both in the fall and the spring but also with those two matches." Coach Burke said. "We are just making sure we are ready come, hopefully, that final match of Sun Belt."
With the 2024-25 season quickly approaching, the Eagles have set their sights on a postseason run and are ready to compete in one of the toughest schedules in the country. The squad is set to begin its season on Monday, August 26 at the 2024 Tiger Classic in Clemson, South Carolina.
"We have a special opportunity ahead of us this year." Coach Burke said. "We are excited to see it through, and on top of that building on the culture that we have been building the last couple of years. The girls are really fun together and it's a fun team to be around."
