Coming off of its best season in recent years, the ASU women's golf team is looking to pick up where it left off as it gears up for the fall season.
In 11 of 12 events, the Sun Devils finished in the top 10 and captured three tournament titles during the 2004-05 season. With 14 consecutive NCAA appearances, ASU currently has the nation's second-longest streak.
"Every year we have been here we've been able to improve," said ASU coach Melissa Luellen, speaking of herself and assistant coach Missy Farr-Kaye. "We're looking to improve our NCAA finish, which I think is definitely doable."
Luellen has helped the Sun Devils improve each year in NCAA Championship finishes since her arrival in 2002. ASU finished 18th in 2003, 10th in 2004 and in a tie for eighth place last spring.
ASU does face a setback, however, with the loss of last year's freshman sensation Louise Stahle. In her first and only year at ASU, Stahle swept the conference and national awards, earning both Pac-10 Golfer of the Year and National Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year accolades.
Stahle is now competing professionally.
Filling the void left with Stahle's departure will be freshman recruits Azahara Munoz and Jennifer Osborn. Munoz, who is from the same part of Spain as ASU All-American and 2003 men's champion Alejandro Canizares, comes to ASU with an impressive resume.
"We lost Louise Stahle, but we did gain some good players," Luellen said. "When you lose one great player and you gain two, in team play that's a pretty good deal."
Munoz won the 2004 Girls' British Open Championship in Scotland and nearly defended her title in 2005, finishing second at the West Hill Golf Club in Surrey, England.
"For her to come so close to winning it again, just shows you how much she loves to compete," Luellen said. "She puts on her game face, she enjoys it out there and she loves to compete."
Since the graduation of seniors Erin Tone and Nicole Deacon, ASU's Alissa Kuczka moved up the roster, becoming the only senior in the program. Kuczka has improved each year since becoming a Sun Devil, shaving off three stokes from her freshman average.
Kuczka also turned in five top-10 finishes for the 2004-05 season, including three in the top five. Luellen said that Kuczka is a natural leader by example.
"In golf you really don't need the rah-rah type of leading," Luellen said. "She's not afraid to push her teammates when she thinks that someone's slacking a bit."
Kuczka said that while she feels too young to be a senior, she does take time to help her younger teammates.
"Last year with Louise [Stahle], I was always there to help her around, and now this year I'm doing the same with Azahara," Kuczka said. "I can't imagine what it would be like coming here from a different country and not even knowing the language completely."
Luellen said that despite the individual nature of golf as a sport, Kuczka thrives in a team-competition setting.
"She is all about the team," Luellen said. "She wants to play well so badly, and she works so hard; I think we're going to see a real strong year from her."
The Sun Devils swing into fall action next week when they leave for Fukushima, Japan, on Sept. 3 for the TOPY Cup Tournament. The TOPY Cup includes four Japanese women's teams competing against two American women's collegiate teams and will be held Sept. 6-8 at the Tanagura Country Club.
Washington will join ASU as the other U.S. representative.
Reach the reporter at michael.fowler@asu.edu.
