Geandra Almeida served as an assistant under Lee Director of Golf John Maupin last season when the women’s golf team made history by reaching the quarterfinals in its first NCAA DII National Tournament appearance.
She was promoted to the women’s head coaching position shortly after the 2021-22 season ended. Almeida, an All-American as a member of the Lady Flames’ first golf team (2017) says, “I feel like we can do even better this year, with a more mature team that now believes they can achieve great things together through hard work and commitment.”
Only one player is officially missing as the Lady Flames begin working for the fall season opener on Sept.
12, but that is All-American Alex Naumovski. “We lost our best player from last year, but we added her as our grad assistant coach,” explained the coach. “Alex was a phenomenal team player, and I'm confident that her experience will help our whole team become more competitive than ever.”
Almeida will take over a program that has six golfers back including a pair of players, Emily Felix and Carson McKie who were awarded an extra year due to the (2021-22) COVID-19 shortened season.
Coach Almeida took time to talk about each of the returnees:
“Carson McKie is very determined, works very hard and is always pushing herself to be a more consistent player. She is also very caring and is always encouraging her teammates.
“Emily Felix is one of the most talented players I have ever worked with. She is a very strong player and a great leader to our team. She is also very committed to our goals and works really hard.
“Supuschaya Srichantamit has been playing very consistently for us since her freshman year. She is so talented, and her work ethic is amazing. She is always looking for ways to improve her performance. She is also very determined and fights for our team until the very last shot.
“Lily Bloodworth had a very strong freshman year. She qualified for all the events we played last year. She works extremely hard, and her competitive spirit amazes me. She is never satisfied with her performance and is very a consistent player. I also love the energy she brings to the team.
“Emily Ritchie is one of the most competitive players I know and has been working very hard to be back in the top 5. She also has a very strong work ethic and is very determined to keep getting better and to become a more consistent player.
“Jadepreeya Jademongkolrat is determined to be more competitive this season. She is very coachable and is always willing to work hard.”
Hannah Nall is the only freshman added to the roster. A local player, Nall enjoyed an outstanding career at Cleveland High School. “She is extremely talented and I'm sure she will make an immediate impact on our team,” noted the coach.
Almeida said, “I'm looking toward Felix and McKie for their leadership on the team. They are not only our best players but are fifth-year seniors with national championship appearances. I'm certain that their experience combined with their strong work ethic will be the key to our success this season.”
The first-year head coach pointed out that she wanted her team to play in the strongest possible tournaments this fall. “I truly believe that if we want to be successful, we need to be constantly playing against the best teams in the nation. Our main goal is to get ourselves ready for a very competitive spring season.”
The Lady Flames open the season on Sept. 12 in Carmel, Indiana at the UIndy Fall Invitational, an event hosted by The University of Indianapolis. On Sept. 26-27, the Lady Flames will host The City with Spirit Fall Classic at the Cleveland Country Club and will be joined by West Florida, West Georgia, Shorter, Lander, Montevallo, Carson Newman, North Georgia, Columbus State, Limestone, Lincoln Memorial, Anderson and Union.
Play continues Oct. 10 when Coach Almeida takes her team to Dahlonega, Georgia to take part in the LeeAnn Noble Memorial, hosted by the University of North Georgia. The Lady Flames will close the fall season by playing at the Legends Invitational (Bradenton, Florida), hosted by Rollins College on Oct. 31 – Nov. 1. “This will be a very strong event and we will get to play against the best ranked teams in the nation,” allowed Coach Almeida.
After a short break the Lady Flames will go back to work with the Lee Sports Performance Team. “Our team workouts are planned by our amazing Sports Performance Team. The girls have workout sessions twice a week during the season and will continue throughout the off-season,” pointed out the coach.