Some athletes follow pre-game rituals or superstitions. For sophomore Alana Hall, her time before a showcase for Lehigh women’s golf is spent dancing and singing with her teammates.
“If I’m listening to music before a match, I have to sing the song,” Hall said. “I love to hype up my teammates before every match.”
The civil engineering major from Florida is known for being a booster for her teammates.
This energy showed during her first tournament of her sophomore season, the Boilermaker Classic at Purdue University, where she was the top qualifier.
Hall teed off first to start the season and earned the lowest Lehigh score of the tournament in the last round, shooting only three over par.
Hall said she knows her strengths and is confident in her ability to shoot the ball further on longer holes.
The women’s golf team has eight players on the roster, while only five of those eight qualify and play in weekly tournaments.
Coach John Manos said it is not a predetermined choice of who gets to be number one for each tournament, which means scoring the best in the qualifying round and facing the opponent’s lowest-scoring player as well.
“We let the numbers speak for themselves,” Manos said. “(Hall) got the honor of being in that position for our first tournament of the season.”
Hall said she ensures her teammates are in sync before a match, since one off day can impact the group’s close-knit dynamic.
Senior Yuki Zhu said the team’s close bond makes it easy for players to support and push each other.
“We are all such a tight-knit group, so it’s easy to rely on each other,” Zhu said. “(Hall’s) competitiveness always inspires me to work harder and get better scores.”
Hall said a year of playing golf at Lehigh has made her more confident inside the classroom and on the course.
Hall is also a member of Lehigh’s Black Student Union and the National Society of Black Engineers. She said balancing all of her activities is not always easy.
“I typically miss Monday and Tuesday classes because of golf almost every week, which can be difficult,” Hall said. “Now that I’m a sophomore, I’m working on the balance and focus of it all.”
At home, Hall said she practices constantly with her older sister, who plays golf at Dartmouth College.
Hall said she and her sister have been swinging clubs since they were just two years old.
After moving to Florida, the two were able to play year-round, developing their skills on some of the state’s most challenging courses.
Manos said the fact that Hall’s sister also plays golf is inspiring, since they always have family and supporters at matches when both are competing.
After wrapping up their first tournament on Sept. 2, Lehigh women’s golf faces a tough stretch of practices and preparation, but Hall said she expects both herself and her teammates to stay driven on the path to victory.
Hall said she’s aiming for nothing less than the Patriot League Championship for her team in April.
The team will tee off across the country this season, with key tournaments happening in Arizona, Florida and California.
“For my second season (as head coach), I want to transition to a harder schedule,” Manos said. “That doesn’t change my expectations, and we are all looking for a Patriot League Championship win and the lowest scores possible.”
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