The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OLYMPIC SPORTS PROFILES Victory Ignites Golfer Meagan Bauer In Senior Season Two-time Wolverine captain Meagan Bauer had accomplished a great deal heading into her senior season, but there was still one glaring hole in her collegiate résumé. That changed on Oct. 11, when Bauer shot an even-par final round to capture her first tournament championship, the Lady Northern Intercollegiate in French Lick, Ind. It was a feat many may have perceived as a long shot four years ago when Bauer first took to the course for Michigan. She had thrived in local tournaments as a member of Grand Blanc High School's golf team, but lacked integral develop- mental experience in high-pressure na- tional tournaments. "Sometimes you have someone that you think would jump right in and be in the starting lineup their freshman year because they've already had the scores and they've done well as a junior player," women's golf head coach Cheryl Stacy said. "Then you have the other ones that maybe haven't had the experience or played in big national tournaments and they need to experience the big-time tournaments before finding success." Not only did Bauer gain the necessary familiarity with high-pressure situations that national tournaments presented early on in her career, she performed This fall, Bauer won the Lady Northern Intercollegiate in French Lick, Ind. PHOTO COURTESY U-M SPORTS INFORMATION exceedingly well in them; she paced the Wolverines in seven different tourna- ments in her first three seasons, includ- ing six top-20 finishes. "In a way, she has overachieved," Stacy said. "She still has things that she can achieve, and I know her goals are high, but she has definitely gotten a lot out of herself." Much of Bauer's ability to surpass ex- pectations and maximize her potential as a golfer revolves around her poise on the course. "She's able to handle herself and her emotions," Stacy said. "She doesn't need somebody out there to hold her hand. That is an important maturity level that I am seeing." Bauer has led by example in helping teammates get the same productivity and efficiency out of their individual skill sets, and has set the bar high for the team in her final semester as a Wolverine — winning a conference championship. "She was team captain last year, but I think just knowing that it's her last year I think she's very determined to end on a good note," Stacy said. "She wants to win a Big Ten championship and I think that intensity was really noticeable to me coming in to the season." Stacy has also noticed a slightly differ- ent mindset from Bauer since tasting indi- vidual victory for the first time, and a dis- tinct desire to notch a few more victories while her collegiate career winds down. "She is hungry to win every tourna- ment now; I don't know if she's ever really thought that way before," Stacy said. — Kevin Minor Just a month into her inaugural cam- Rookie Emina Betkas Builds Confidence After Historic Win The camaraderie with her new team- paign, Emina Bektas took her first step in cementing a place in Michigan's rich athletic tradition. Only a freshman, she defeated five of the Midwest's top collegiate tennis play- ers, including three nationally ranked foes, and returned from Columbus, Ohio, the first USTSA/ITA Midwest Regional singles champion in school history. But one of the most important steps in the young career of the Indianapolis native, who finished the fall season 8-4, was her first onto the Michigan's campus as a highly coveted high school recruit. "Going into the college process, I had absolutely no idea where I was going to go," she said. "But when I came on my visit, I completely fell in love with the school, the team and the coaches. "I could just feel how close they were. As soon as I visited campus, I knew this was where I wanted to go, and I commit- ted the next day." mates has been crucial for Bektas, who opted to train in Texas and compete in the national junior tournament circuit rather than suit up for her Indianapolis- based high school tennis squad, while she continues to adjust to the rigors and demands of life as a student-athlete both on and off the court. "You feel like you don't have any time; in the morning you have classes, then practice, and you have to get your hours in at study tables," she said. "But I definitely think I've improved this year academically and athletically by being around all my friends and teammates. They are like my new family." While Bektas has forged strong rela- tionships with her new teammates and coaches, she has proven to be a thorn in the side of her opponents— many of whom she believes were caught off guard by her advanced skill and aggres- siveness as a freshman. "I definitely don't think they expected me to be able to go out there and com- pete with them, but I really believe in myself and my game," she said. "I defi- nitely have an all-court game, but I'm more of an aggressive player, and I have a big serve and a big forehand." It is probably safe to say that Bektas, who earned Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Week honors following her tour- nament victory, will not be sneaking up on opponents moving forward, but her early-career success has affirmed a deep- rooted confidence that can be just as im- portant for a young player as a powerful serve or forehand. "I believed that I could play at that level, but actually going out there and being able to win those matches against those kinds of players was definitely a great confidence booster," she said. "Now I really know that I can play with those players." — Kevin Minor DECEMBER 2011 THE WOLVERINE 91