By QUINN MATTHEWS
quinn@readthereporter.com
For a golfer, every hole counts. Every stroke counts. Especially when your teammates are placing their trust in you.
Myra Sealey is the only freshman on the Noblesville High School varsity girls golf team. The Millers are currently ranked third in the state. She has big goals for herself to play in college, but what matters most to her, is helping her team. Sealey has picked up many accomplishments during her competitive golf career. Now that she is a part of the school’s varsity team, she believes that none of her past accomplishments compare to what she has done this year.
“My biggest accomplishment has been being able to contribute my score towards almost every tournament we’ve had this year. It’s important to me,” Sealey said.
Noblesville started its season off strong with winning the Homestead Invitational, and the Kokomo Invitational. Sealey shot 77 at the Homestead Invitational, which took place at Chestnut Hills Golf Club, and 80 at the Kokomo Invitational, which took place at Kokomo Country Club and contributed to the Millers’ already strong record for the season.
Noblesville then took home another win against Zionsville at the Trophy Club in the Millers’ first nine-hole match of the season. Assistant coach Samuel Vorhees is impressed with how much she has benefitted the team this year.
“She’s been thrown into the varsity lineup straight out the gate as a freshman, and she’s been contributing to team scores,” Vorhees said. “It’s not always guaranteed that everybody who plays in a tournament is going to contribute to the team score, but she’s consistently been doing that, playing extremely well, and representing the team very well out on the course.”
Sealey said that now that she is a part of the Noblesville team, she feels more pressure to perform well for her teammates.
“In middle school I felt pressure because I was expecting to be the best, but now in high school I feel like I have more expectations for myself [to benefit the team].”
Transitioning from middle school to high school golf was a big change for Sealey. Her goals changed, she felt more pressure, and she had to learn how to balance schoolwork and her sport. The one thing she didn’t have to worry about was fitting in with her teammates.
“I took golf classes at Pebble Brook and I had a friend, Presley [White],” Sealey said. “I did Pebble Brook with her, and we became really close. She’s one of my best friends now and it’s always nice to have someone that you’re close to on the team, and I made so many more friends.”
Sealey has met many mentors like White, some of whom have graduated and even gone to play Division I in college. These girls have taught her what it means to serve your team and given her the confidence to shoot for her goals.
“I think they’re all an inspiration,” Sealey said. “I want to play in college too. I just look up to them.”
With the many friends she has made along the way, her coaches believe in her abilities to reach her goals just as much as her friends do.
“She’s just really impressive and I think that she’s a great model, teammate, and contributor. I am excited to see where the future takes her,” Vorhees said.