VYPE DFW Private School Female Golf Athlete of the Year Fan Poll Winner: Avery Hill
To cap off her career with Fort Worth Christian Golf, Avery Hill was voted as the winner in the VYPE DFW Private School Female Golf Athlete of the Year Fan Poll. Having graduated this spring, Hill is off to continue her education and play golf for Mary Hardin-Baylor University this fall.
Hill made an appearance in the TAPPS golf state tournament where she finished fourth place just behind Emma Luna of Lutheran South Academy. Hill posted a Day 1 score of 78 and a Day 2 score of 79 to finish the tournament at 157.
Looking Back:
Photo Courtesy of John Evans
"I will always be blessed with memories from my freshman year as I was fortunate enough to be teammates with my older sister, Jordan," said Hill in an interview with VYPE DFW. "But my favorite memory on the golf course occurred my sophomore year when my team won the state championship!"
Despite a shortened season last year, Hill was able to stay motivated through golf tournaments outside of school. "I had been invited to play in the National High School Championship at Pinehurst, so I still had a goal to work towards which kept me motivated. And there was an upside of this cover enriched off season: I had my very first hole-in-one!"
Secrets to Success:
Photo Courtesy of John Evans
It's no doubt that practice makes perfect and practice helps improve performance. Crafting skill such as Hill takes work and dedication. She credits much of this season's success to working with her new swing coach, Joey Wuertemberger. "My game is trending in such a positive direction with his assistance," said Hill. "He is brilliant and so positive, I understand my own swing so much better now and am able to make more own on-course corrections."
Leadership continues to be a trend for Hill as she credits the coaches with her team's overall success this season. Aside from that, the ability to enjoy practice played a huge role according to Hill. "We have coaches who love our team and so do much for us, but also this season we had new people trying golf for the very first time, all of them being some of my closest friends which kept practice light hearted and fun to be at."
What's In Store:
Photo Courtesy of John Evans
As Hill prepares to head off to college play, she is using the off season to focus on developing her game by making swing changes and gaining strength and swing speed. The soon-to-be UMHB freshman plans to major in marketing and eventually pursue becoming a real estate developer.
What drew Hill to UMHB was Coach Rolston. "She has a heart of golf and an overwhelming evident heart for Jesus," said Hill. "It was clear early on that I would be very fortunate to play for her and it would be a blessing for her to develop me as a player and young adult. After spending more time there I recognized it was a school I saw myself going to even if I didn't play golf and that is when I committed."
Coach's Comments:
Photo Courtesy of John Evans
"Avery's performance as an individual was not the big surprise," Fort Worth Christian's head golf coach John Evans remarked. "The big surprise was she led a five-member team of girls- which had three players who had been playing golf for less than one year and prior to this year's District Championship had never played in a golf tournament before. Over our four years together, she has developed into an outstanding lady golfer and an extraordinary leader."
Fun Questions
Who is your favorite professional sports team?
"Dallas Stars."
Who do you look up to as an athlete?
"I look up to Bubba Watson after his recent interviews about his struggles with the game. Nerves on the golf course are a very real thing for competitive golfers and it was refreshing to hear that pros undergo those same feelings."
If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be? What would you talk about?
"As a golfer I think the go-to answer is Tiger Woods for all the obvious reasons! But also because I know I would benefit learning from his focus and course demeanor."