After winning another District 9 Class AAA title last year with just three players on the roster, the Bradford girls golf team is looking to continue its success with a new head coach and bigger roster.
Ashlee Colwell, a seventh grade American history teacher who’s worked in the Bradford Area School District since 2007, is the team’s new head coach and has been playing golf recreationally for the past several years.
“My husband got me golfing when we first got together, so I’ve been doing it recreationally ever since,” Colwell said. “I like to golf and I got to a point where I felt like I was ready to do something like this.”
Gone from the team and leaving some big shoes to fill are two seniors from last season in Elyse Godding and Kate Huber. The two combined to win four individual District 9 titles with Godding winning three of those and Huber winning one.
The lone returning letterwinner from last season is senior Sadie Oliver. The Lady Owls will also have Adrienne Angell back for her senior year. Angell previously lettered as a member of the team but did not play last season.
Rounding out the team’s seniors this year is Mia Huber. The rest of the roster features sophomore Alanna Benson and freshmen Alexia Corignani, Sophie Cornelius and Cadence Stiles
“We have an interesting mix of experience and youth,” Colwell said. “We have five girls who it’s their first time ever on the golf team, so we’re really relying on our letterwinners to just kind of help them out and make sure they have a good season.”
That senior leadership will be critical to the team’s success this season, according to Colwell.
“They have the experience,” Colwell said regarding the team’s seniors. “They know how to perform under pressure. They are adjusted and are used to match play.”
With sports in the four-county bubble of McKean, Potter, Elk and Cameron counties set to begin Monday, the Lady Owls’ schedule features nine matches between Sept. 14-29.
Colwell is proud of how the team handled the prior uncertainty of whether fall sports would happen and believes they can have an advantage playing matches at Pines Acres.
“The girls really rolled with the punches,” Colwell said. “We just kind of condensed our season so from that standpoint, it’s gonna be a gauntlet for them, but at least we’re keeping it close to the same number of matches. So we’ve had a lot of range practice, getting out on the course, just really working on getting them prepared for starting (on) Monday.”
“Pine Acres is a challenging course. I feel like that’s in their favor. This is our home course and they’re used to playing on it, so they’ll go into those matches with that on their side,” she later added.
Colwell said hitting off the tee will be a strength for the Lady Owls this fall and along with senior leadership, consistent play and staying focused will also be critical for the team to continue its winning ways.
The Lady Owls’ season will begin Monday with a home match against Smethport at Pine Acres.
“They’re just a great bunch of girls,” Colwell said. “They make practice a good place to be.”
The schedule is as follows:
September
14 — Smethport, 3:30 p.m.
15 — Cameron County, 3:30 p.m.
17 — at Coudersport, 3:30 p.m.
18 — Kane, 3:30 p.m.
21 — at Ridgway, 3:30 p.m.
24 — Coudersport, 3:30 p.m.
28 — at Kane, 3:30 p.m.
29 — at Smethport, 4 p.m.
