Unlike other sports that are played during a specific season, college golf has two seasons. Each fall, the women’s team plays several tournaments and then must spend the winter preparing for another season in the spring. But what about the summer?

Most college golfers stay competitive during the summer months by playing in amateur tournaments. The Eagles are no different. All of them competed in the Ohio Women’s Amateur at Riviera Country Club in Dublin as well as a slew of other tournaments.

“I think it’s very important,” sophomore Madison Musick said. “You have to keep your competition level up.”

Musick had one of the busiest summer golf schedules on the team. She played in six tournaments, starting with the Western Amateur in Monroe, Mich. and the Ohio Women’s Amateur. After shooting in the mid-80s at both of those competitions, she switched clubs and tore apart the rest of her mid-year schedule.

She won the Dayton Women’s Amateur at Green Country Club – her home course – and followed that up by winning the club championship at the same course with a 74. After that, she paired with Ashland teammate Abby Tepe to win a partner tournament and tied for third with Tepe and senior Holly James in the Cleveland Women’s Amateur at Long Hills in Bedford, shooting 74, 77 over 36 holes.

When she wasn’t competing, she practiced every day at Green Country Club, which is only five minutes from her house.

James spent the summer working part time, but she still managed to fit in both the Ohio Amateur – a tournament that she won last year – and the Cleveland Amateur. She qualified for the first flight of the Ohio Amateur but lost in her first match in extra holes. The match was against another college golfer – from Findlay – and was competitive throughout, with both girls making birdies to win holes.

James said that it is important that she puts herself in those types of situations during the summer.

“You can kind of get caught up in practice routines where you’re not putting yourself in those competitive positions and mindset,” she said.

James practiced at her home course, Columbia Hills Country Club in Columbia Station, and she also traveled to Ashland regularly to work on her swing with coach Pam Leonard.

Junior Nicole Trivisonno made the best showing of anyone from Ashland at the Ohio Amateur. After shooting a 77 to make the championship flight, she took her first match to sudden death by getting up and down from behind a bunker. She hit a flop shot to 20 feet and sank the ensuing side hill putt. Though she ended up losing in 21 holes, she enjoyed the tough competition.

“It was fun,” she said. “It reminded me of the [high school] state tournament a little bit.”

She finished two shots behind her teammates at the Cleveland Amateur, firing rounds of 77 and 76. She also played in a tournament at Shawnee Hills in Bedford.

Trivisonno plays and practices at Quail Hollow Country Club and at Pine Ridge Golf Course, which she can get to through her backyard.

Sophomore Ashley Franks also played in several summer tournaments, starting with a tournament in May at Firestone West where she shot 82, 89 to tie for 20th. After shooting an 84 to qualify for the first flight at the Ohio Amateur, she lost her first match in 18 holes. She shot 77, 78 at the Cleveland Amateur to finish in a tie for eighth.

In a tournament at Longaberger Golf Club in Nashport – a 36-hole tournament that got shortened to 27 because of rain – she shot 84, 43 to tie for 12th. She also played a TaylorMade/Adidas Collegiate Series tournament at Red Hawk Run Golf Course in Findlay.

Franks plays and practices at Sawmill Creek and Eagle Creek in Huron, but says that the summer tournaments are what really prepare her for the season.

“Playing in the summer is just really good to keep you in that mentality and it’s really good practice,” she said.

Coming into the season prepared is imperative, especially this season as Ashland tries to fill the void All-American Erin Misheff, who graduated but will remain a part of the squad as an assistant coach.

“The consistency is going to be what we need,” James said.

The Eagles will look to get that consistency from a core group of sophomores, including Musick, Franks, Tepe and Andrea Stevenson, and freshman Ali Green. They are not the only team in the GLIAC that is young, however. Grand Valley State, Ferris State and Findlay lost their number one golfers as well.

Ashland begins its season Sept. 16 and 17 at the NCAA Division II Championship National Preview in Daytona Beach, Fla. The tournament will be held at the LPGA International Golf Course and will feature some of the top teams in the country.

“We are stacked up with tons of competition this fall, so it’s kind of going to kick us in gear,” James said.

The tournament in Florida begins a four-week stretch that includes the Indianapolis Fall Invitational, Grand Valley State Invitational and Findlay Invitational. The Eagles wrap of their fall season with an appearance at the Dayton Invitational at NCR North Course.