University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Women's Golf Ready to Hit the Course
February 25, 2005 | Women's Golf
Feb. 25, 2005
Feb. 25, 2005 -
Feb. 24, 2005
The North Carolina women's golf team begins the spring season with goals for improvement. After adjusting to the loss of two All-Americas in the fall, the young Tar Heels will look to build on their experiences and finish strong this spring.
"My goal for the team is to get better and better," says head coach Sally Austin. "We want to get better every time. We want to gain some confidence."
The Tar Heels built such confidence early on in the fall season with a sixth place finish at the Cougar Classic at Yeamans in South Carolina. Sophomore Katie Miller, from Jeannette, Pa., and freshman Ann Laney, from Charlotte, N.C., posted top 20 finishes at the tournament to help the Tar Heels finish strong.
"We started off really really well in our first tournament," says Austin. "Then we didn't quite play as well after that. We were certainly disappointed in our finishes."
Part of Carolina's struggles in the fall season can be contributed to the injury of junior Beth Marushak. In the second round of the Franklin Street Parters Invitational, played at UNC Finley Golf Course, Marushak had to withdraw due to back problems. She did not return to the lineup for the remainder of the season. As a junior leader, on a team without seniors, North Carolina sorely missed Marushak's presence on and off the scorecard.
"Beth's back injury definitely hurt us," says coach Austin. "We think she will be back this spring. She's working hard to get there."
Right now Marushak is scheduled to sit out the first tournament. She is, however, expected to return for the remainder of the spring season.
Despite the injury and a lack of seniority in the fall, the team's underclassmen give the Tar Heels a bright outlook for the future.
"We had some super performances from our freshmen," says Austin. "Ann Laney did really well. Katie Miller also had some good rounds. It's exciting to see what's out there and what we're capable of."
The freshmen and sophomores combined for five tournament finishes in the top 25 this fall and have been working hard in the off-season to make big contributions this spring. Coach Austin consistently has her team focus on their short game and course management between seasons and has seen a good response from this year's team.
"This is as hard a working group as I've ever had," says Austin. "They listen. This group is probably the most responsive group that I've had. They're working hard to achieve great things and it's just a matter of time."
The team begins its spring season when they travel to College Station, Texas, for the Texas A&M "Mo"Morial, February 28-March 1. The Tar Heels will go on to play a competitive schedule that includes stops at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic in Baton Rouge, La., and the Bryan National Collegiate in Browns Summit, N.C.
"This tournament at Texas A&M will be a good start for us," says Austin. "But, the fields get stronger as we go. We have a good, strong schedule."
"We're looking forward to it and I'm very excited because this team works so hard. I just know there are great things ahead and I know we're going to get there because this team is determined to do it."
![Images from the first round of the 2026 Gators Invitational on Friday, March 6, 2026 at Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. [Photo by Matt Pendleton Photography for North Carolina Tar Heels Athletics]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Func.sidearmsports.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F3%2F7%2F260306-NCAAWGOLF-UNC-GatorsInvitational-0828-MattPendleton_copy.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
