By Alex Riley

Special to SMUMustangs.com

 

DALLAS – Ellie Szeryk enjoys the blend of levity and intensity. That's what happens when you bring together a group of people who are driven, but also caring. 

And for SMU women's golf, that has been a winning combination all season long. 

"We're all extremely competitive, so any time we do have those competition days at practice where I'm against Michelle (Zhang) or Mackenzie (Lee) or Lauren (Miller) or Ashley (Chow), it's very competitive. There's not a lot of talking," Szeryk said with a laugh. "But at the end of the day, we are each other's biggest fans. I think that's played such a big role in our success this year, just knowing that we have each other's back."

Over the course of a record-shattering season, the Mustangs have flexed their depth time and time again en route to an NCAA Regional bid, the program's first postseason appearance since 2017. SMU, the fifth-seed in the 12-team field, will stay in Texas to start the postseason, playing at TPC San Antonio starting Monday. 

How SMU got to this point is a clinic in a balanced attack and support for each other. In 12 tournaments this year, SMU has finished first or second nine times, with a program-record five wins. That includes four straight victories to close the schedule, the biggest of which was a 14-stroke win at the AAC Championship, the program's first conference title in more than three decades. 

All that success has been thanks to a deep roster. Three different players have finished as the team-scoring leader at some point, 27 school records have been broken and three different players will likely surpass the season scoring average by the end of the season. Lindsey McCurdy set the record in 2016-17 at 72.18. Lee (71.39), Zhang (71.45) and Szeryk (72.09) all stand to overtake that mark by season's end. 

"As a coach, we only hoist up trophies because of our players and because our players are coachable and believe in our vision. I'm just so thankful for the group we have this year and how much they've embraced every challenge we've set forth and more," SMU coach Lauren Mason said. "Every time they've had to level up or they've been faced with some adversity, they've stepped up to the challenge."

Mason's rebuild in just two years at the helm has required a complete overhaul of the roster, as only two players from her first season returned for this campaign. The addition of two freshmen (Zhang and Lee) and two transfers (Szeryk and Miller) gave SMU a talented but unproven group.

Even after all the success, that mindset of still needing to prove themselves still permeates among players. Despite all the success, SMU has not cracked the Golf Stat top 25 this year. As a fifth-seed in the regional field, the Mustangs feel as though some expect their season to end shy of making the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona. The top five teams from each Regional advance to the next round. 

For SMU, it's just another opportunity to prove they belong and rewrite more history. 

"I know a lot of people had a little bit of doubt for our team, especially because everyone was new. We didn't know each other, we didn't know what our teamwork would be like," Lee said. "(Their doubt) just adds to the confidence that we have for the team. We're always excited to see what other records we can break, and we have a few left but we're getting there."