Senior co-captain Emma Wagner is in her fourth year of golf at Antioch Community High School and is a valuable asset to the varsity team. Wagner started her golf career during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, she has made unbelievable progress in her playing, which earned her a varsity spot in the following years.    

Wagner comes from a long line of golfers in her family, so when she decided to join the team her freshman year, it was no surprise that she would perform greatly. Her family owns Spring Valley Country Club, the home course for the girls’ and boys’ golf teams. This gives her an advantage, as during her days off, she is easily able to perfect her craft on a course she is comfortable and familiar with.

The girls’ golf team has shown that perseverance and positive attitudes are key to performing well as a single player and as a team. An athlete’s mental attitude affects their entire performance, especially in golf, so it is difficult to perform at your best without confidence. Having teammates who can push you to do your best but also complement your playing style is essential to make the complicated dynamic of golf teamwork.

“We should always support each other, if someone shoots a good score we are all very supportive, if someone shoots a bad score we are the same way,” senior Maddie Barrett said. “It doesn’t matter, at the end of the day we are all teammates and we are rooting for each other.”

The team always makes sure to constantly uplift their teammates and wish them luck before and during every match. This is an important aspect of ensuring the team dynamic always stays positive and the girls can have fun while competing in a sport they love.

“I’ve learned to always keep pushing and have a positive mindset because positive thoughts equals positive shots,” junior Enza Nawrocki said.

The team’s overall dedication to the sport plays a large role in their ability to succeed as individuals and as a team. Fortunately for the girl’s golf team, the players are all dedicated to always improving their game and making an effort to put extra practice in when needed. Along with this, the girls are always helping each reach full potential on and off the course; this is an extremely tight-knit group. They make sure to push themselves to constantly be the best version of themselves. The girls make sure there is an equal amount of both fun and hard work put into a season.

“We are all really focusing on this season and taking our playing seriously,” Barrett said. “I think we have a really good shot at the conference this year.”

Three co-captains lead the girls’ golf team, all of them being seniors. This has meant they have all grown as players together, which makes them perfect fits for co-captains. The coaches and other younger players on this team have recognized the immense effort these girls have put in to ensure they are performing their best every match. Wagner takes a huge initiative on the team by making sure to take younger teammates under her wing, teaching them the ropes of high school golf, and setting good examples that the younger players can follow. Wagner is a perfect example of a role model for the underclassmen and is someone they can all look up to, not just as a player but also as a person, as she is always the first one to volunteer when an underclassmen needs a ride home or just someone to sit with on the bus.

“We have made it to a point where we are helping lead and getting people what they need. We always help them,” Wagner said. “Co-captains are a leadership role.”

Wagner’s coaches have had a large role in getting her where she is today as a golfer. Someone she looks up to and gets a lot of inspiration from is head coach Bill Hamill. Having a good coach can make or break your performance as an athlete, these girls need to have a coach who fuels their passion for the sport rather than a coach who puts out their spark and love for the sport, which happens all too often these days.

“My coaches are for sure everyone’s biggest supporter, like coach Hamill. [My coaches] definitely pushed me to be who I am today,” Wagner said.

Hamill helps the girls learn from their mistakes and strive for the best. He is crucial in helping the girls improve their game and play at their best 100% of the time. As Hamil has been coaching girls golf for a long time, he has gotten extremely good and pointing out certain areas the girls can improve in and helping them work towards their goals.

“Remembering that this [sport] might be played as an individual but team scores decide everything.” Hamill said.  “They must remember every shot counts no matter what their current score is. They know they can count on each other and they hold each other accountable for their performance on and off the course.”

Not only is Wagner an excellent athlete, but she is also an outstanding student; she is always pushing herself in school by taking multiple AP classes a year and being a large part of the Tom Tom, constantly volunteering to stay after school and helping the newer students with designs. Balancing school and sports can be difficult for many students, but Wagner has proven she can do both while maintaining an honor roll-worthy GPA throughout school. Although Wagner does not plan on continuing golf in college like many ACHS golf alumni, she still plans to play as a hobby whenever she gets the time.