Spring Break
Ackerson looks to lead women's golf next season
Chris Dell, Staff Writer, cdell@smu.edu
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Sports
Some say in sports that one shot can change a season, even if it's for the worst. That was certainly the case for SMU women's golfer Kate Ackerson, a name that suddenly disappeared from leaderboards this spring.
Ackerson, a junior, was figured to play a critical role in the Mustangs' success this season. In 2007 she finished third individually at the C-USA Championship, guiding her team to a tie for third and earning a spot on the All-Conference USA first team.
However, her 2008 campaign came to an unexpected halt in the second round of the Mustangs' first spring tournament, the Central District Invite, on Feb. 18. Ackerson was rescuing her ball from the edge of a sand trap, when her club jammed against the bunker's lip, dislocating two bones in her wrist.
Ackerson was determined to finish the tournament's final round but completed only one hole before succumbing to the pain. That would be it for Ackerson, who was forced to the sideline for the rest of the spring. Healing time for a wrist injury is usually "indefinite," said head coach Todd Selders.
"Kate hadn't missed a tournament since her first tournament of her freshman year, so we knew the injury had to be pretty significant for her not to be playing," he said.
The Mustangs didn't want their season to be derailed by Ackerson's injury. However, it would take a few weeks for the team to get back on track.
Following an 11th place finish at the Central District Invite, the Mustangs sputtered to a 14th place finish in the 15-team Texas A&M Mo-morial Tournament. Ackerson's hunger to return to the course was growing, but all she could do was watch.
"[Dealing with the injury] was really hard," said Ackerson. "I really wanted to be out there helping my teammates."
SMU would begin turning things around late in the season. Guided by the surging freshman Paige Martin, the Mustangs climbed to ninth in the 16-team Susie Maxwell Berning Classic in Norman, Okla. Martin, who had finished 77th and 57th in her prior two tournaments, jumped all the way to 14th.
Ackerson, a junior, was figured to play a critical role in the Mustangs' success this season. In 2007 she finished third individually at the C-USA Championship, guiding her team to a tie for third and earning a spot on the All-Conference USA first team.
However, her 2008 campaign came to an unexpected halt in the second round of the Mustangs' first spring tournament, the Central District Invite, on Feb. 18. Ackerson was rescuing her ball from the edge of a sand trap, when her club jammed against the bunker's lip, dislocating two bones in her wrist.
Ackerson was determined to finish the tournament's final round but completed only one hole before succumbing to the pain. That would be it for Ackerson, who was forced to the sideline for the rest of the spring. Healing time for a wrist injury is usually "indefinite," said head coach Todd Selders.
"Kate hadn't missed a tournament since her first tournament of her freshman year, so we knew the injury had to be pretty significant for her not to be playing," he said.
The Mustangs didn't want their season to be derailed by Ackerson's injury. However, it would take a few weeks for the team to get back on track.
Following an 11th place finish at the Central District Invite, the Mustangs sputtered to a 14th place finish in the 15-team Texas A&M Mo-morial Tournament. Ackerson's hunger to return to the course was growing, but all she could do was watch.
"[Dealing with the injury] was really hard," said Ackerson. "I really wanted to be out there helping my teammates."
SMU would begin turning things around late in the season. Guided by the surging freshman Paige Martin, the Mustangs climbed to ninth in the 16-team Susie Maxwell Berning Classic in Norman, Okla. Martin, who had finished 77th and 57th in her prior two tournaments, jumped all the way to 14th.
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