Athlete of the Week: Sarah Seo

On Sun., Sept. 27, the women's golf team captured first place at the Yale Invitational Tournament. It was nothing new for the women--they also went home with the first prize at the Dartmouth Invitational on Sun., Sept. 20. And Sarah Seo, TD '02, has been the driving force behind the team's success this season.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Sarah Seo

Seo, who hails from Lima, Ohio, began playing golf with her father when she was four. A self-proclaimed "ham," Seo would try to attract her father's attention by imitating other golfers at the driving range. Although Seo was just fooling around, her father noticed her natural propensity for the sport and encouraged her to continue playing. Now, 14 years later, Seo is one of the best golfers in the Ivy League. She garnered the second best overall score (152) at the Dartmouth Invitational and earned the top overall tournament score (151) at the Yale Invitational this past week.

Although Seo was a stand-out golfer in high school, it is somewhat surprising that she has been successful so early in her college career since after all, Division I golf courses are bigger and more challenging than high school links. Seo, however, says that the support of her teammates allowed her to make a smooth transition from high school to college-level golf. In high school, Seo was the only female on her team. Although competing against male golfers improved her skills, Seo did not share a sense of camaraderie with them as she does with her teammates at Yale. "I feel like I'm a part of something bigger here. In high school, I played with guys, but I did not feel united with them," she said. Seo says that the confidence she has in her team helps to motivate her before tournaments. She is more excited about golf than ever before because she feels her team is capable of winning an NCAA bid.

Seo will certainly be instrumental in her team's success this season. Her teammate Annie Scholz, DC '02, said, "Sara is four-and-a-half feet of pure spunk. She always has a smile on her face and a great attitude about golf. She works hard and it shows in her success on the golf course."

Golf occupies most of Seo's free time now, but she has many other interests. In high school, she played basketball for two years and was the starting shortstop on the softball team. In addition, Seo enjoys cooking and names "Great Chefs" as one of her favorite television shows.

Seo, who plans on majoring in history, has been enjoying her first few weeks at Yale. During the first several days of school, she was upset that she didn't live on Old Campus, but now she is glad to have met upperclassmen who live in TD.

Seo has only been at Yale for four weeks, but she has already made a huge impact on the golf program. Her skills, combined with her positive attitude, will undoubtedly propel her team to successful seasons in the future.

--Kate Moran

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