With three regular tournaments, the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Regionals left in the spring season, the ISU women’s golf team is excited to see what it can accomplish.

“The fall is a starting point that gives us a lot of momentum going into the spring season,” said coach Christie Martens, who was named the 2011 Big 12 and NCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. “The spring is all about playing well and playing to our abilities with the high expectations and talent on the team.”

With the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Regionals on the horizon, the team and the coaches are preparing the best they possibly can. The women’s golf team has gone to the NCAA Regionals the past two years but has come up short in their bid to make it to nationals.

“Our goal is to make it to the Nationals, I would say that is the goal for the whole team,” Martens said. “For the Big 12 Championships, on the other hand, we have no specific goal. We just want to put ourselves in contention to win.”

The team is young with only one senior, but that does not make the coaches nervous about being able to compete with the other schools.

“All players are different, we bring in talented players who are able to play, but get better and better as the season goes on,” Martens said. “Our goal is definitely to have our players be their best by senior year, but we expect them to play a big role as underclassmen, too.”

As the only senior, Kristin Paulson takes on the role as the team leader. She has the most experience and has been around the block a few times when it comes to the major tournaments like the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Regionals.

“It is my responsibility to be the leader of the team,” Paulson said. “I like to get everyone going and get excited for practice or workouts, so that everyone has a positive attitude and is working hard to get better.”

Iowa State next plays on March 16 to 18 in the Norte Dame Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz.