'It's really awesome'

The University of Findlay women's golf program had quite the season this spring.The Oilers hold a collection of hardware, including a third-place finish in the national tournament, a Division II National Player of the Year award, and an individual national championship. At the forefront of those accomplishments are two familiar names for the Oilers program: senior Gabby Woods and junior Mary Kelly Mulcahy. Woods won the Division II national championship May 23, winning by one stroke. Tied for 11th after Round 1, Woods fired a 5-under 67 in the second round to surge into a tie for first place. Her third round 69, capped by a birdie on the 18th hole, gave her a school record 209 total and the national championship. "Truth be known, I was in the last group and the girl that I was tied with, she was in a group ahead of me," Woods said. "There was a girl I did play with that was one shot behind me going into Day 3. And I kind of used her as a comparison of where I was at. I knew that if she played good and I stayed with her, that we would be right there. She kind of started to trail off towards 15 and 16, and 17 is a short par 3. So, if I parred that or birdied it, whatever I did, I was going to ask Coach (Hunter) Foltz where I stood."I asked him after I putted out on 17, I said 'Where do I stand? I need to know.' He said if I birdie the last hole, then I'll win outright. Knowing 18 was a par five, I expected to birdie it. Not only on any given day, but on that day the tees were up, so I had even more of an opportunity. Knowing it was a par five gave me a ton of confidence, but by the same token the nerves started to sink in. From tee to green, that's the most nervous I've ever felt in my life."Nerves or not, Woods delivered. Her birdie on the 18th hole clinched the first Division II national championship in women's golf program history, forever etching Woods' name into the history books. A senior from Sabina, Ohio, Woods has been a phenom in the women's golf program since arriving on UF's campus. "I never would've thought I would be at where I am today," Woods said. "Coming out of high school, you know you're a decent golfer to play in college. I guess I didn't know how good I would get over the four years."Honestly, that's one of Findlay's strengths in the golf program. Not only are we always practicing together, but I feel like we always practice the right things that make us better."Voted Great Midwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, Woods went on to be named to the all-G-MAC team all four seasons of her collegiate career, along with being a two-time WGCA All-American. Woods opted to go out on top, persevering to win a national title in her final outing as an Oiler. "It's pretty great," Woods said. "I really don't think as an individual there's any other way I could've went out with a bang. Knowing that this is my last year, I wanted to be able to do everything I could to make that impact and help out my team. I don't think there's any other way to go out on top, so that made it even more special."Woods wasn't the only Oiler to notch a major accomplishment. Mulcahy was announced as the Division II National Player of the Year on the same day that Woods won her individual championship, adding another footnote to an outstanding UF season. "Her and I knew that we had to step up and be the leaders of the team, shooting what scores we did," Woods said. "Her being national player of the year, I considered myself right behind her. So, it was either going to be her or me. It's kind of nice to also be another representation of how great Findlay is, how great the golf program is.""It's really awesome," Mulcahy said. "We're always together, we always work hard together. It's just cool to see your best friends, your teammates reach their goals too." Mulcahy, a junior from Lima Central Catholic, has been named to the all-G-MAC team all three of her seasons at Findlay. She was named Freshman of the Year as well, is a three-time WGCA All-American, two-time G-MAC Player of the Year, and has already set a multitude of Oiler records. Mulcahy recorded seven tournament victories for the Oilers, the most of any Division II player in the country. Her scoring average of 71.1 was also the top mark in Division II, along with her record of 845-10-3 through 12 tournaments. She was recently named one of 11 finalists for the Division II CWSA (Collegiate Women Sports Awards) Honda Athlete of the Year and will be the only non-Division I member of Team USA at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup. "At the beginning of the year, I always write down my goals," Mulcahy said. "I write down some things that I think are pretty realistic, and then some goals that are kind of a reach. One of them actually was the National Player of the Year. Getting that this year is kind of crazy. Going into the year I didn't really expect to be player of the year, but I knew that if I worked hard there was a chance."While Mulcahy had two very successful seasons under her belt, it was between the fall and spring seasons this year that her National Player of the Year dream started to become a reality."I played the whole fall season and didn't really think much about anything," Mulcahy said. "After the fall season, our national rankings came out and I was ranked No. 1. Over the winter and into the spring season, I was like 'Well, if I have a good spring season then I have a really good chance of being (National Player of the Year)."What's next for the pair?For Woods, she plans to maintain her amateur status and play in several tournaments this summer. Mulcahy will be one of four players from this year's national qualifying team and five letter winners overall returning for a program, that under two-time WGCA Coach of the Year Dominic Guarnieri, won a NCAA Division II national championship in 2022 and has become a legitimate and consistent contender on the national stage.