Dalton State Women’s Golf: A 1st-Year Team With Winning Results

  • Friday, October 31, 2014
  • Bob Beavers
The Dalton State women's golf team pose in front of the bell tower on campus. From left, Coach Jim McGrew, Erika Wardzinski, Ashley McDonald, Rachel Rebne, Caroline Griffin, Taylor Marie Griner, Julia McQuilkien, Coach Marsha Whitener, and Director of Golf Ben Rickett.
The Dalton State women's golf team pose in front of the bell tower on campus. From left, Coach Jim McGrew, Erika Wardzinski, Ashley McDonald, Rachel Rebne, Caroline Griffin, Taylor Marie Griner, Julia McQuilkien, Coach Marsha Whitener, and Director of Golf Ben Rickett.

Jim McGrew, coach of the Dalton State Women's Golf Team, made a decision last year to delay the beginning of women's golf by one season.  His reasoning was that by doing so he would have more time to recruit and the Lady Roadrunners would be more competitive from the beginning of the program.

During the extra time that he was allowed, Coach McGrew proved that he can be a very persuasive recruiter. The allure of playing every day at some of the best golf courses in the country, being a part of something new and exciting,and finishing school with a top quality education and little if any debt proved difficult for student athletes to resist.

The coach hit the road and recruited six athletes who are new to Dalton State.

The recruits included two of the top junior college talents in the country. Erika Wardzinski and Julia McQuilken of Seminole State, a community college near Orlando, visited Dalton State and enjoyed a taste of what it would be like to be a Lady Roadrunner. They were impressed with The Farm, Dalton Golf and Country Club and Nob North.
  
McGrew used his contacts as the coach at Northwest Whitfield High School to land two of south Georgia's best golfers.
Caroline Griffin of Sycamore played for Tift Area Academy and Taylor Marie Griner of Moultrie played at Colquitt County High. It turns out that the two recruits were friends with one major common denominator. Chris Dixon, the head golf pro at Spring Hill Country Club in Tifton, had coached them both. 

Griffin and Griner also made visits to Dalton. They loved the community, the golf courses and coaches, and the idea of escaping the extreme south Georgia heat.

Rachel Rebne had played golf at Berry College in Rome as a freshman, but the Fort OPglethorpe native wanted to attend college closer to home. She had maintained a 4.0 average at Heritage High School while competing in golf, soccer and cross country.  

Ashley McDonald is an honor graduate of Gordon Lee High School in Chickamauga. She was the medalist in the 2014 Georgia High School Association public schools sectional.

McGrew and Assistant Coach Marsha Whitener have fine-tuned the team since their arrival on campus in August. The staff at The Farm and Dalton Golf and Country Club have also been very helpful in making the team nationally competitive.  

The Lady Roadrunners will begin the spring portion of the schedule knowing they have competed with many of the best NAIA and NCAA DII golf programs in the country. They finished the fall ranked number 12 in the NAIA with an astounding 35-9 record including 11-6 against NAIA top 25 teams and 6-3-1 against NCAA D-II teams.

Dalton State competed in four highly competitive tournaments. They finished second in two of the events, fourth in one and fifth in the other. McQuilken had two top four finishes. Wardzinski has three top tens including medalist in the Chick-Fil-A Invitational. She is currently ranked 11th in the NAIA. Griffin has two individual top ten finishes and is now ranked 22th in the NAIA.

"It's been a successful start to the program," said McGrew. "We've gained invaluable experience including the opportunity to play the venue for the national championship. We are using the offseason to make needed improvements."   

Dalton State women will begin the spring schedule in Athens. They will play in the Lady Bulldogs Invitational Championship beginning February 7th at the University of Georgia course. The remainder of the spring schedule includes:

Feb. 28 - March 1 - Callaway Women's Collegiate - Lakewood Course, Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA
March 10-11 - Seminole State Spring Break - Timacuan Country Club, Lake Mary, FL
March 16-17 - Eagle Invitational - LPGA International, Daytona Beach, FL
March 30-31 - Lady Argonaut Invitational - Stonebrook Golf Course, Pace, FL
April 6-7 - The Chattanooga Classic - Council Fire Golf Course, Chattanooga, TN
April 18-19 - SSAC Conference Tournament - Montgomery Country Club, Montgomery, AL  
May 12- 15 - NAIA National Championships - Savannah Quarters Country Club, Pooler, GA

 

 

Latest Headlines
Sports
Chattanooga Women Third At Spring Break Shootout
  • 3/18/2024

The Chattanooga Mocs got off to a solid start at the Spring Break Shootout. The ladies are 4 under on Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club’s South Course carding 280 over the opening 18 and 284 ... more

Sweetwater's Keke Norfolk Signs With Cleveland State
Sweetwater's Keke Norfolk Signs With Cleveland State
  • 3/18/2024

Keke Norfolk of Sweetwater High School signed a National Letter of Intent with the Cleveland State women’s basketball team this past week. Norfolk a 5’9” guard/forward, becomes the first signee ... more

Vol Baseball Win Streak Ends At 17 At Alabama
  • 3/18/2024

No. 5/5 Tennessee's 17-game winning streak came to an end with a 6-3 loss to No. 12/14 Alabama on Saturday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide (16-3, 1-1 SEC) ... more