Youngest Anderson emerges to become The Republic Girls Golfer of the Year

Columbus North senior golfer Gwen Anderson is The Republic’s 2021 Girls Golfer of the Year. She is pictured at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.

Columbus North senior golfer Gwen Anderson is The Republic’s 2021 Girls Golfer of the Year. She is pictured at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.

Columbus North senior golfer Gwen Anderson is The Republic’s 2021 Girls Golfer of the Year. She is pictured at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.

Columbus North senior golfer Gwen Anderson is The Republic’s 2021 Girls Golfer of the Year. She is pictured at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.

When she was younger, playing golf wasn’t even on the mind of Columbus North senior Gwen Anderson. After all, she spent most of her time after school watching her three older sisters Sydney, Holly and Annie play in matches and tournaments.

The more time went on, the more Gwen fell in love with golf. The countless days spending time golfing with her sisters paid off in a huge way for her.

This season, Anderson averaged 39.3 per nine holes played. She was the Conference Indiana medalist, Bloomington North sectional medalist and a state qualifier.

Those accolades helped her earn The Republic Girls Golfer of the Year honors.

Even though she was a bit disappointed with how her season finished at the state finals, Anderson was a model of consistency. She averaged 78.9 on 18-hole rounds and 38.9 for nine-hole dual and tri matches this year.

“I’m pretty happy with how I played. I’m not happy with my finish, which I feel like I could have played a lot better at state. It wasn’t a good two days for me,” Anderson said. “I won some matches and some tournaments and conference and sectional, and I’m pretty proud of that. I felt like I had a good season.”

In the offseason, Anderson went out to practice Otter Creek at least once a day or sometimes twice a day in the morning and at night, practicing with her sisters and her father Chris.

Whether it was on the range fixing her swing or on the putting greens to work on her short game, Gwen said the bonding and time she spent with her family on the golf course helped mold her into the golfer she is today.

A lot of Anderson’s consistency this year had to do with her mental toughness and work ethic. North coach Scott Seavers mentioned that Anderson knows when she can or can’t take those chances.

“She’s a smart player, and she’s gotten smarter over the last few years,” Seavers said. “She understands the game so well that she puts herself in positions that she can avoid risks and avoid big numbers, and she can also make birdies when she needs to when the opportunities arise.”

This season, Anderson was voted the captain by her teammates. It was an extra role for her, but she was ready for the challenge. She mentioned watching how her sisters and her former teammate and captain Nathaly Munnicha conducted themselves in that role that helped her learn and take on the leadership position this year.

“She had to take on that extra responsibility, and I think she’s handled it well,” Seavers said. “It’s one more aspect of her game, and credit to her, she’s embraced it. She’s worked at it and gotten better at it.”

Anderson plans to attend Rose-Hulman next year and majoring in engineering. She hasn’t decided if she wants to study chemical engineer or optical engineering. She plans to pursue golf, as well.

Annie attends Rose-Hulman and is majoring in optical engineering. She played for the Rose-Hulman golf team last season, but has transitioned into playing basketball this year.

“It’s D-III, and I think that’s more my speed so I can focus on school,” Gwen said.

Gwen was happy about how her golf career for the Bull Dogs went and is ready for the next chapter. She will continue to be a cheerleader for the North girls and boys basketball games this winter.

“It was honestly an honor for all the good golfers that have gone through the North program, including my sisters,” Anderson said. “It was really great, and I really think coach Seavers made it great. He was always very supportive, and I feel like he got to know us very well and got to know our game. He made the golf team awesome.”

Seavers will have some big shoes to fill for his team next year.

“She’s meant a lot to us, to her teammates and was representative of the program in such a positive way. She made that giant leap from her freshman year to her sophomore year, and she’s gotten better and better since then,” Seavers said. “I think part of it is, she lived in the shadows of her sisters for a lot of years, but she also learned a lot from her sisters and how to approach the game and how to prepare, and she followed that model, but yet was able to do it her own way. Once she started seeing some success from that work she put in, it kept compounding and she saw the results and worked harder and harder and got better and better.”

The Republic 2021 All-Area Girls Golf team: 

Gwen Anderson, Columbus North: The senior averaged 39.3 per nine holes played, was Conference Indiana and sectional medalist and state qualifier.

Ella Wilks, Columbus North: The senior averaged 42.2 per nine holes played and was a state qualifier.

Macy Euler, Columbus North: The senior averaged 44.5 per nine holes played.

Harley Gant, Columbus East: The senior averaged 40.3 per nine holes played and was a state qualifier.

Carter Gant, Columbus East: The sophomore averaged 41.8 per nine holes played.

Peyton Meier, Columbus East: The senior averaged 43.9 per nine holes played.

Sophia Curry, Jennings County: The junior averaged 43.9 per nine holes played.

Honorable mention

Brown County: Annika Evenson. Columbus East: Katie Hong, Cristen Martinez, Lilly Steinwedel. Columbus North: Ritisha Rashmil. Jennings County: Alexis Carson.