Golfstat

DALLAS – Over the last seven years, Ashley Chow has known nothing but change when it comes to golf.

An Ontario native, Chow came to the United States during high school to learn and play at several institutions in hopes of improving her chances of getting a scholarship. Since arriving at SMU, she's gone through a coaching change between her freshmen and sophomore seasons, followed by a roster overhaul going into her junior year.

The one constant has been the lack of consistency. Yet, as the Mustangs prepare to start the fall portion of the 2022-23 season at the Dick McGuire Invitational in New Mexico this weekend, Chow, along with everyone else on the Hilltop, seems to view the coming campaign in a very positive light.

"I think this is probably the best position women's golf has been in for years for us. Our team is looking really good, everyone is meshing really well," Chow said. "I don't think we've ever had this much talent on one team. There are no weak links this year."

Chow joins fellow junior Nicole Vivier as the only two returners on a roster of seven. SEC transfers Lauren Miller (Mississippi State) and Ellie Szeryk (Texas A&M) along with three true freshmen from a signing class considered among the top 10 nationally (Sophie Biediger, Mackenzie Lee and Michelle Zhang) comprise the five new faces. Reigning AAC individual champion Kennedy Pedigo has graduated, along with three other seniors. Additionally, the program had an assistant coaching change in the offseason, with Addie Baggarly joined the staff.

Second-year coach Lauren Mason views the upcoming year as the new starting point for her vision of what SMU women's golf can be. Hired in mid-July 2021, Mason didn't have much time to truly dig in and enact change last season, instead working with what she inherited.

On paper, the differences between Years 1 and 2 are stark – and maybe that's a good thing.

"I think it's definitely a lot of unknown from outsiders, but for us as a coaching staff we know that we're ready to compete," Mason said. "We've got one of the best freshmen recruiting classes in the nation, in combination with a couple of transfers as well. We certainly know we're going to be fierce competitors, but I think we'll shock a lot of programs this upcoming fall and spring."

While the positive energy is high, Mason is trying to temper expectations and keep the team focused on incremental improvements that could lead to bigger accomplishments in the spring season.

The building blocks started a few weeks back when the team did a retreat at Blue Jack National. The time away from campus gave players a chance to learn about each other, both on and off the course. For a team with so many new faces, the bonding was crucial.

That's a point Miller, a senior who played three years at Mississippi State, has tried to drive home as much as possible. The Mississippi State transfer has only been in Dallas  a few months, but she's played a tremendous amount of college golf. Her message – while it's an individual sport, it's important to remember you're part of a team. Do that, and the rest will fall into place.

"With golf, we spend our early years by ourselves. Now, you come to college and have people to have your back and can really lift you up on your not-so-great days and really celebrate you on your best ones, which I think is one of the things I love so much about college golf. I think that's really the thing I'm trying to communicate is that this is now a family," Miller said. "For me, I wanted to join SMU because I saw how much potential was here. We have just incredible facilities and we have two leaders in our coaches who are very passionate about making SMU a powerhouse program. I truly saw that vision and wanted to be a part of it and knew it was a very realistic goal."