ERIC ROBINSON | STAFF REPORTER
It would not be out of the ordinary for senior golfer Jenna Peters to be at a golf course for several hours in one day, not on the course, but on the putting green practicing her short game in preparation for her final season in a Butler uniform. A season that hopes to be as promising as seasons in the past.
Peters is coming off of a season where she made the All-Big East team, and she plans to use that success as momentum into this year.
Photo by Marko Tomich
“I feel like last year’s finish motivated me more this year to go for my higher goals,” Peters said.
Her goals are not tame, by any means. They include winning a conference championship and advancing the team to regionals. Even with the team in the Big East, a tougher conference than when she began her Butler career, Peters is still confident that the team can do it.
“(The Big East) has better competition than the Horizon League or the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which we were in,” Peters said, “but with the team that we have now, we feel as though we can be more competitive to strive to get that championship.”
To help accomplish this goal, Peters plans on taking charge this season and stepping into a leadership role.
“I need to become a team leader, just to show the underclassmen that we really want this conference championship,” Peters said.
Senior Isabella Lambert has played with Peters for four years and knows how important Peters is to accomplishing their goals
“Jenna and I have always pushed each other during our four years at Butler,” Lambert said. “We want to make sure our team will be competitive at the conference tournament and make it to regionals our senior year. We have pushed each other to constantly be better golfers each year and make sure the team performs at the highest level.”
Head coach Bill Mattingly says that Peters definitely has a shot at winning the individual conference title.
“I think she still has a lot of untapped talent,” Mattingly said, “and she is very capable of winning the Big East.”
Peters said that a balance between practice and going out and playing a round is essential.
“At practice, I really like to converse because practicing by yourself is very hard, because you just get down on yourself,” she said. “And in tournaments, it’s game time, so you really have to be ready for that.”
Sophomore teammate Megan McCambridge looks up to Peters’ work ethic, both in practice and on the course.
“Jenna is a great player who works hard at the game,” McCambridge said. “She is very dedicated and continually demonstrates that the best way to get better at golf is to have a balance between practicing and going out on the course to play.”
Mattingly said Peters has also matured over the past four years as a golfer.
“She’s matured on the golf course and has learned how to get through her bad rounds better,” Mattingly said.
Peters acknowledges that, although there are bad rounds, there are always more chances.
“Whether it’s 18 or 36 holes, I just know that there’s going to be more golf,” Peters said. “It’s hard to say, ‘Oh, don’t worry about that shot,’ but you just have to go along with it and figure out the next shot.”
Peters hopes to use her three years of collegiate experience as an advantage for her team moving forward.
“I feel, as a senior, I already have three years under my belt, so I really know what’s going to happen in tournaments,” Peters said. “I feel as though I can put my qualities through these past years into the team and help them be better.”
