SAN DIEGO -- After three consecutive runner-up finishes, the San Diego State women's golf team won the 2019 Mountain West Championship by one stroke over Nevada at Mission Hills Country Club from April 15-17.
It wasn't easy, however, as the Aztecs almost saw their big lead evaporate. Leading by nine shots over San José State and 10 strokes over Nevada heading into the final round, SDSU held on with an 18-over-par 306 to finish at 40-over 904, edging the Wolf Pack by one shot. But that's why it's a 54-hole tournament and not 18.
San Diego State was more than halfway into its spring season when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic struck the United States and effectively changed all sports (college and professional) as we know it. Some leagues chose to suspend events, while others, like the NCAA, chose to cancel the rest of competition.
Unable to defend their conference title this year, the Aztecs will instead have to wait until the 2021 spring campaign to look for a repeat title.
GoAztecs.com recently spoke with SDSU women's golf head coach Leslie Spalding about all things coronavirus, including when the team found out about the canceled season, trying to get the team's mostly international players home to their families and reliving the team's 2019 MW Championship.
GoAztecs.com: When did you find out that your season was, first suspended, then canceled? Were you already back in San Diego?
SDSU Women's Golf Coach Leslie Spalding: We were paired with Yale (at the Dr. Donnis Invitational in Hawaii). We coach knew that Yale and the Ivy League (had canceled their season), and we couldn't believe it. We were thinking that couldn't happen to us. It was the sixth hole of our final round on (Wednesday March 11) and the seniors from Yale were crying because it was their last tournament. Then the next day on our way from Hawaii we found out (about the suspension, then cancellation). It seemed to be changing every 15 minutes and suddenly, we were done. It was totally shocking.
We arrived at 9 a.m. (Thursday) and Willie, our bus driver, was in a pretty stressed mood. We found out later after (the bus ride back to campus). I felt bad for Willie, because it was probably the last day he has worked with (SDSU) athletics since (the coronavirus outbreak).
GoAztecs.com: Once you find out the season was canceled, I imagine your thoughts went to how do we go about getting all these kids home?
Spalding: We were trying to figure out the best situation for each one of them. Our Filipino player, Bernice (Olivarez Ilas), her mom wanted her home right away because she found out they were going to close the border in Manila (Philippines) on March 15. So, she got her flight the next day. She had a lot of packing to do and she flew out the next day at noon. We arrived at 9 a.m. (Thursday) and the next day she was on a flight to Manila. The shock of that and then trying to figure out what's best for our players. Two of them hung around I think another week before they went home. They ended up going home and had to be in quarantine for 14 days where they couldn't see their anybody, including their family. My Swedish player (Sara Kjellker) was worried that she wouldn't be able to get home for the summer, so she flew home. Sweden has been open. She's been playing golf, running a camp and staying busy.
GoAztecs.com: Have you been in contact with your team?
Spalding: The only times that work in the day Pacific time are 3 p.m. and about 4 a.m. We had one Zoom call where we had everyone one on at 3 p.m., but it was 11 p.m. in Sweden and 6 a.m. in the Philippines. It's the only time and it's too hard, so we are mostly just doing individual Zoom calls with (assistant coach Alyssa Waite) and I. And then just trying to figure out the eligibility piece as well. Bernice hasn't left the house since the day she got there. She has literally not left at all because if (the Philippines) gets (COVID-19), their whole population will get it because they don't have the hospitals and services like (the United States does). (The Philippines) is taking it very seriously. Her mom has them all doing exercises. They have a very set schedule during the day. (We're) just trying to keep in touch with each person to check in on them.
GoAztecs.com: What has been your message to the team? Are you coaching now, advising or just being there for them?
Spalding: Sport takes over so much of their lives. (Right now) is a time to be with their family and take it easy. Take a little break from golf. Take it day-by-day, but make sure you are healthy, and your family is healthy. That's the most important thing. Golf will come when it comes, it's secondary to anything else at this point.
GoAztecs.com: What kind of things do you talk about with the team on Zoom calls?
Spalding: How are you? How's school? How's your family? What's life like for you? Different players have different things (we talk to them about). Sara (Kjellker) is just so hungry to play golf. She recently played with a girl from New Mexico (Caroline Jansson) and a girl San Jose State (Kajsa Arwefjäll). They all play in the same club in Sweden. They had a mini-Mountain West Conference match and they'll have something again real soon.
GoAztecs.com: This time last year, you guys were battling for a conference title. What do you remember most from last year's championship?
Spalding: I would not look at the live scoring. On (the 18th hole) I was with Fernanda (Escauriza) because she was the last player coming up. It was a situation of does she go for the green in two on a par 5, where you must go over the water and risk all that, or does she lay up? So, she said, 'How do we stand, coach?' I said, 'I honestly don't know, let me look.' So, I looked, and it said that we were tied with Nevada. We waited for her opponent (from Nevada) and she laid it up into a bunker, and it would be a hard shot for her third shot. (Fernanda) said, 'Well she just hit into the bunker so I'm going to lay up.' And I was like, 'That's perfect.' (Fernanda) ended up missing a 12-footer for birdie and the other girl made her par, so Fernanda had to make her putt we thought to tie. But my assistant (Alyssa Waite) came to me and said, 'They have our score wrong. They had Sara (Kjellker) one worse than she shot. She was one better.' So now this (putt) was to win. That moment was so crazy because it went from please make it so we can go to a playoff to she has to make this to win? She made it and it was absolute pure joy for all of us. It was so much fun. It was very stressful day.
It was so gratifying for the team and the student-athletes to win something like that and jump in the pond. (SDSU executive associate athletics director of external relations) Steve Schnall was with us. It's a women's golf tradition at Mission Hills Country Club. We're so lucky to play there. The champion of the (LPGA major) ANA Inspiration jumps (into the pond) ever since 1988 when Amy Alcott jumped in the lake. Now it's a swimming pool, so it's chlorinated water. It's not a pond with rocks (anymore). Steve was with us and we are all getting ready to jump at the same time, and he tried not to jump in with us. So, I grabbed him and said, 'You're coming with me' and I got him to jump in the pond with us. It was so much fun.
GoAztecs.com: Being the defending champion, do you think there was more of a target on your back this year?
Spalding: I don't know about other sports, but for us it doesn't matter your rank and it doesn't matter how good or bad your team is, it's how your team manages the stress (of the tournament). There's a different type of feeling at our conference championship. Every year you can cut the tension with a knife. It's very different than any other tournament. Fresno State had been playing well all spring. We had been playing OK, not up to our best, but OK. It always comes down to who can play well on that golf course that week. I thought we had a good shot at winning it again and a chance to repeat, but it's always one of those, gosh, I don't know. What players are going to show up and what players are not?
GoAztecs.com: How was your team progressing toward defending your conference title?
Spalding: I wouldn't say that our (sixth-place) finish in Hawaii was great. It was a little disappointing. I think our ranking was a little disappointing. I think we were a much better team than that and I was looking forward to making a couple of different changes in terms of putting (drills). One little change, just having them do one drill 10 minutes a day, and then continue to do the same things we were doing. I felt like it was a good moment, thinking 'OK, this is what we need to do moving forward.' Then getting people on the same page and executing was what was next. I think we would have been very competitive and would have had enough time to get everybody where we needed them. It was just some little things that added up. We have the horses that can carry a team to a championship.
GoAztecs.com: It's not really back-to-back champions, but you do get to be the defending Mountain West champion for another year. Do you take any solace in that?
Spalding: It's always nice to be a champion and winning is so much fun. It's something you can never take away from a team. And to get to hold onto the championship for two years is nice, although I'd never like to have that happen again. It's better to earn it then to be given it, but it's nice to still win (the last MW championship)."