By Emily Bary ’15

Staff Writer

Alexandria Lee ’15 finished her competitive season with a flourish this weekend, recording a hole-in-one at the golf team’s conference championship. She finished in 17th place, tied with teammate Alexandra Fuiks ’14, and helped Wellesley finish fourth among seven teams. 

Lee has proven herself to be a reliable performer for the Blue, often finishing as one of the top scorers for the squad. Before meeting with one of the golf team’s recruits for next year, the junior captain sat down with the Wellesley News to discuss her training and her leadership role on the team. Excerpts of the conversation follow.

Emily Bary (E.B.): How long have you been playing golf?

Alexandria Lee (A.L.): I started golfing when I was five. My dad would take my sister and me out, and he’s the one who really got us into golf. It wasn’t really a choice though.

E.B.: Do you still play with them?

A.L.: I play with my dad and my sister a lot. My brother is starting to get into golf too. I get to take him out during the summer.

E.B.: Do you teach him?

A.L.: He takes lessons, but I try to teach him too. He’s not as inclined to listen to me.

E.B.: Why did you decide to play at Wellesley?

A.L.: I knew that golf was definitely something I wanted to do in college. I got recruited at Wellesley, and I really liked the coach. I got a good vibe from Wellesley so I decided to play here.

E.B.: What’s a typical practice like for you?

A.L.: In the fall, we usually have one day of range time and then we have different days when we can focus on different parts of our game. It kind of depends on what you want to work on.

E.B.: Do you do any strength training?

A.L.: We started lifting as a team last year. This year, the lift program is more specific toward our sport, so that’s great. We also get something to do over the summer now.

E.B.: What’s the hardest part about college golf?

A.L.: I guess just managing your time. When we go for tournaments on the weekends, we leave Friday and don’t come back until Sunday. Just knowing how to schedule yourself is really important.

E.B.: How long are you on the course during tournaments?

A.L.: Ideally, we like to play under five hours but what usually happens is that a round will last just under six hours. You’re pretty tired afterwards. It’s five and a half to six hours on Saturday and then five and a half to six hours on Sunday.

E.B.: What’s it like being captain?

A.L.: Oh, it’s really fun. Last year I did it by myself and this year I’m a co-captain. It’s really great to plan team-bonding events. Our last event is this Saturday and we’re going to say goodbye to our seniors.

E.B.: What are your thoughts on this season?

A.L.: I feel like we’ve come a long way and I’m excited because we have some recruits coming in.

E.B.: What are your goals for next year?

A.L.: Just to keep on playing my best, and I guess I would like to lower my score.

E.B.: Is it hard playing an individual sport in a team setting? Is it different from what you were used to before coming to Wellesley?

A.L.: It’s a different mindset but you know that your score doesn’t only count for you. It counts for everybody.

E.B.: Do you think that makes you play better?

A.L.: Maybe, because you think that every stroke counts for all of us. But it could also make people a little stressed out.

E.B.: Do you plan to continue with golf after college?

A.L.: Yeah, I plan to just keep on playing. Maybe not competitively, but I don’t want to lose golf at all.

The golf team closed out its season this past weekend with the Liberty League championship, narrowly topping the team from Vassar, which had beaten Wellesley just a few weeks earlier.