Athlete of the week

Yale women's golf entered the ECAC championships full of confidence after winning the Princeton invitational. The Bulldogs began the second day of competition in second place, but after losing their top player, Anna Jepson, TD '05, to an injury resulting from jumping from a golf cart, Captain Sarah Seo, TD '02, picked up where Jepson left off and finished sixth overall as an individual, leading the Bulldogs to a tie for fifth place. Seo's ability to make up for Jepsen's absence and to play well is indicative of her strength as a player and a leader on the golf course.

Throughout high school, Seo was active in athletics, playing softball, basketball, tennis, and golf. When it came time to select a college, Seo visited other East Coast and Midwestern schools but immediately fell in love with Yale—the people, the golf team, and the "unique" golf course. And Yale golf is certainly happy to have her. Seo was a top finisher in her first two collegiate tournaments freshman year, won the 2000 Ivy League Individual Championship, has been named to the First Team All-Ivy for the past three years, and is captain of the varsity squad for the second year in a row.

With golf competing in both the fall and the spring, Seo keeps busy with practice and traveling for tournaments, apart from academics. However, she has started to play squash in her free time and also joined the Epicurean Society. "Cooking is a big thing that I do," Seo said; she is currently in the process of mastering Chinese steamed buns with red beans, which is, apparently, a rather difficult dish to cook. The Epicurean Society also got Seo involved in the New Haven community; she frequently cooks in a soup kitchen for the homeless.

Although she has a year of experience as captain and "can't remember when she didn't play golf," Seo said that she "puts a lot of personal pressure on [herself] to help everyone and make sure the team is happy." As captain, Seo tries to lead by example and has particularly enjoyed getting to know the freshmen this year. Jenny Schriefer, DC '02, said, "Sarah has been an excellent captain, providing enormous amounts of support to this team. She also had led the team with her great play and amazingly straight drives."

With graduation looming, Seo will ultimately attend medical school. However, next year she plans on enjoying a year off and responds to the inevitable question "What will you do next year?" with "Watch television." As far as pursuing her golf career after Yale, Seo is uncertain about competing in the future.

She credits much of her collegiate success to the team aspect of college golf: "Playing on a team brings out better parts of my game and makes me grind it out and do the best I can." Thus, Seo is unsure that the individual nature of post-collegiate golf competition will suit her. Regardless, Seo will continue her strong play and dedication throughout this season.

—Darcy Wiecks

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