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.
One week later, Martin tied for seventh at the Conference USA Championship in El Paso. In a little more than a month, Martin had improved from a three-round total of 272 to 230. Selders said he had helped Martin re-tool her swing early in the spring, which caused her initial struggles, but Ackerson had faith that Martin would improve as the season progressed.
“She just had confidence in herself [late in the season],” said Ackerson. “If you keep working, your hard work will pay off.”
Ackerson knows a thing or two about payoffs. She has yet to win a tournament during her collegiate career, but finished second at the Wolverine Invite in Ann Arbor, Mich., last September. She also qualified for the U.S. Amateur Public Links last summer.
Her wrist continues to mend, and she plans to compete May 14 in a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier in Houston. Ackerson is itching to return to the course, but Selders said he will use caution when bringing her back, which is understandable. The Mustangs are looking formidable next year, and the team is counting on a healthy Ackerson to lead it to the NCAA Regionals, which it missed this spring for the first time in five years.
“Our one goal for next season is so simple,” said Selders. “Hopefully we can win conference, but beyond that our goal is to make it back to regionals. That’s all I’m going to tell them.”
Ackerson set her expectations a bit higher. “My goal is definitely to win a college tournament and make it to the [NCAA Championship],” she said. The Mustangs have not made the NCAA Championship in Selder’s seven-year tenure. Laura Cross was the last SMU women’s golfer to qualify for the NCAAs, when she made it individually in 2004.
SMU will lose seniors Cross and Lacey Jones, who was a second-team All-Conference selection this season. However, Martin and freshman teammate Tia Gannon will return. Gannon played in each of the Mustangs’ five spring events.
Selders said he was encouraged by his team’s performance late in the season and said he feels comfortable about his team’s future with Ackerson leading the way.
Ackerson is the second in her family to be counted on to lead a Mustangs golf team. Her sister, Jennifer Ackerson, was a first-team All-Conference USA selection in 2006 and 2007, and an All-Western Athletic Conference performer in 2005.
Ironically, Jennifer Ackerson struggled with injuries during her career, including back pains that hobbled her during her senior season in 2007. Kate Ackerson said her sister helped her deal with the frustration of being injured.
“She totally understood where I came from,” said Kate Ackerson. “She just told me to be patient and not to push it.”
Another thing Kate Ackerson and her sister have in common – other than the knack for getting nicked – is high academic standards.
Kate Ackerson has earned numerous academic honors throughout her career, including the National Golf Coaches All-American Scholar award in 2006 and 2007. Last year, she was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Team. Jennifer Ackerson was on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll during her senior campaign.
“Over the last four years we’ve had the team-highest GPA [in the conference],” said Selders. “We have some good student-athletes here.”
Kate Ackerson, who is majoring in general business, is shouldering an 18-hour course load this semester so she will have more time to focus on golf next year.
