After taking giant steps forward in the 2004-05 season, the members of the Trevecca Trojan women’s golf team continued their strong play in 2005-06, claiming the school’s second outright TranSouth Conference Championship. It was a season of breaking down the barriers and setting a course for making the Trevecca women’s golf program part of the NAIA national landscape.
The season consisted of eight tournaments with the first in September at the Cherry Blossom Golf Course in Georgetown, Ky., where the team would be introduced to the course that would be the site of the Region XI Tournament to be played later in the year. The Trojans placed fourth out of six teams, posting a team score of 719. Mindy Seigenthaler shot a 167, good enough for seventh place, just nine shots back of the leader.
When the Trojans traveled to North Canton, Ohio, for the Walsh University Invitational, they finished second with a score of 701, setting a new school record for a two-day low team score. Mindy Seigenthaler and Kristi Gearhart shared tournament medalist honors with a 36-hole total of 164. Kristi Gearhart’s opening round 81 was her personal best.
To conclude the fall portion of the schedule, Trevecca held its Fall Invitational and finished second of three teams. The Trojans were led by Mindy Seigenthaler two-day total of 176. The junior finished third overall and made the all-tournament team.
After the semester break, the Trojans resumed play at the University of Mobile Spring Fling. Playing against a strong field that featured two top fifteen teams, the Trojans finished third as a team with a school record score of 700. Seigenthaler finished in fifth place with a score of 165 and all-tournament honors. Noel Moffett placed seventh shooting 169.
Trevecca traveled to Daytona Beach, Fla. for the Embry Riddle Eagle Invitational featuring five of the top eleven teams in the NAIA. Trevecca continued to set records with a school record one day (343) round and for the third time this season, posted the lowest two day total (689). Trevecca was led by Seigenthaler with a two day score of 167 placing sixteenth in a forty-six person field.
In their final tune-up before the conference tournament, the Trojans traveled to Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. for the Community Bank Pipers Invitational. Trevecca tied for first with a 754 tying them with Harding University for top team. In the miserable weather conditions, Noel Moffett tied Harding’s Taren Massey for medalist honors as both posting a two day total of 181. Mindy Seigenthaler finished in third place (184) three shots off the leaders.
The Trojans hosted the 2006 TranSouth Athletic Conference tournament at the Hermitage Golf Course in Old Hickory, Tenn. The teams played on the General’s Retreat course. Trevecca wanted back-to-back titles for the first time in school history. The women accomplished their goal, taking the team and individual championships and beating Lyon College by 298 strokes. Seigenthaler took the individual championship for the second year in a row, posting a two-day total of 165. Joining Seigenthaler on the All-TranSouth Team were three other Trojans: Noel Moffett finished third (175); Abby Goodrich, fourth (178); and Kristi Gearhart, fifth (184). Jenny Mercer rounded out the Trojan field, finishing seventh with a 195. Trojan head coach Michael Johnson was named 2005-06 TranSouth Women’s Golf Coach of the Year, the second time in two years that he has received the honor.
The Trojans advanced to the NAIA Region XI Championships, where the Trojans finished second with a 707. Three Trojans finished in the top ten in individual scoring: Siegenthaler (163) in third place and with all-region honors for a second year in a row, Abby Goodrich (174) in a tie for seventh, and Noel Moffet (179) in a tie for tenth.
The Trojans finished the year ranked No. 25 in the NAIA and No. 17 in the prestigious GolfStat.com NAIA rankings. This year is the first time Trevecca has been ranked in the NAIA Top 25, and the year when it earned its highest ranking ever on GolfStat.com.
Trevecca will lose one of the best players in school history with the graduation of Kristi Gearhart, but the team return the core of the best team in school history. Gearhart was named to the NAIA Academic All-America Team for the second consecutive year.
With the returning players and a promising recruiting class, the Trojans expect to break through even more barriers in the 2006-07 season.
