Centre College Athletics Photo
CheyAnn Knudsen knows a record-setting win in the Southern Athletic Association Conference Championship in her first year as the Centre College women’s golf coach is a special accomplishment. However, she wants more for her team that will be playing in the Division III national championship Tuesday through Friday at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville.
“I am trying to get them to believe we can win a national championship this year,” Knudsen said. “I think these girls are capable. There will be nerves I know. My goal is for our girls to play calm golf without expectations.”
She believes a team must have three of its four rounds under 295 (the total score for four players) to win a national title. She knows there are a “lot of really talented teams” capable of doing that but believes her team can do the same.
“We shot 291 and 296 at conference. Our off day was 302 and that’s not a bad score but if we can shoot around 295 we have a good chance to be in the top five for sure. I want to say top 10 is a really good goal but I am gunning for top five. If we play like I know we can, we will be right there. After conference I told our girls, ‘Do you realize we shot 291? We can win a national championship.’ They may not think they can beat some teams I know what we are capable of doing.”
Centre had already won three straight conference titles but won this year’s tourney by a conference record 40 strokes. Conference rival Rhodes beat Centre twice earlier in the season but Knudsen pushed her team to peak at the right time.
“Practices were not easy. There were a lot of things I made the girls do to prepare. They exceeded my expectations,” Knudsen said. “My goal at the start of the year was for us to shoot 295 and then we shot 291 and the majority of the final day (at conference) we were sitting around even par. I told our girls this was a big year with a new coach going for a fourth straight title and there would be a huge target on us. But even going into the last day we did not let up. We just kept the pressure on shot by shot.”
Junior Emily Warner of Louisville finished second at the conference tourney with rounds of 71-75-72. She played as a freshman, took her sophomore season off and came back this year.
“She started to trust me more. I told her I believed in her but that she was not hitting her peak. When she shot 79, 80 or 81 it was because her tempo was off. She can get a little quick and the ball goes left or right. We worked on her tempo and that was in her mind all weekend (at conference),” Knudsen said.
The Centre coach is going to play Warner at the No. 1 position in the NCAA Championship, something Warner was apprehensive about at first because she’s not been playing No. 1.
“That situation can be daunting but later that night she told me she wanted to play No. 1. As a coach you kind of like when the light comes on. She just needed a push to have more confidence in her ability,” Knudsen said.
Sophomore Janie Morgan of Louisville, the conference athlete of the year, tied for fourth at the SAA Championship with rounds of 75-75-74 to offset a subpar performance she had at the 2023 conference event.
“Nerves can be a problem for her and that can block some better shots I know she can hit,” Knudsen.
Knudsen’s assistant, Levi Agee, alerted her that Morgan seemed “really nervous” early in round one and Knudsen told him to remind her to relax.
“Once she started to settle in, she started doing okay. She has been so consistent for me. She is capable of breaking 70. She shot 70 at the national preview in the fall and she can do that again,” Knudsen said.
Juniors Grace Walker (sixth) of Louisville and Anika Rana (eighth) of South Carolina along with senior Margaret Butts (ninth) of Paducah were all top 10 at conference and will be Centre’s other NCAA entries (the top four scores count each day).
The Colonels will have had a 23-day break from competitive play when the NCAA opens. Knudsen said that is not a huge concern since most teams will have had the same break and some northern teams have been waiting around six month since qualifying for the NCAA in the fall.
“It’s easy to get distracted at this time of year with moving out, finals, festivities, especially for seniors,” Knudsen said. “There are a lot of things going on but our girls also have to understand we are going to compete for a national championship.
“I am a very humble person and always have been. That’s what my parents and grandparents instilled in me but I have very high expectations for myself, too,” Knudsen said. “I always want to have my girls as prepared as possible and as mentally tough as possible to show who is the best team. I really expect us to play well and compete for the national championship.”
