Friday, May 28, 2021
‘We’re not done’ Chris Becker Assistant Sports Editor Ole Miss’ Andrea Linnell lined up a par putt on the 17th hole at Grayhawk Golf Club. Linnell needed to sink the putt to tie the hole in her match with Oklahoma State’s Isabella Fierro. Linnell held a two-stroke lead standing over her putt meaning a make would end the match and earn Ole Miss its first women’s golf national championship— something OSU was also after. Linnell made the putt, and slammed the door on the Cowgirls comeback hopes. Coach Greg Robertson then met with his team behind the green, and had a simple message: “I love them, I’m proud of them and keep their heads up,” Robertson said. “They’ve accomplished a lot this year, and we’re
not done. We’ve got a young team. They’re going to be back. “Hopefully if we’re in the same position next year, we will learn from this and have a different result.” Ole Miss defeated the Cowgirls 4-1 in the national championship match. It was the first time the Cowgirls had lost more than one match in the NCAA Tournament. Stark lost her match 2 & 1, Fierro the same, Lianna Bailey lost 6 & 5, Rina Tatematsu lost 4 & 3 and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard won her match 4 & 3. The Cowgirls just couldn’t find the momentum they had in both their matches yesterday. Putts weren’t falling, and Ole Miss just kept capitalizing on the Cowgirls’ mistakes. A win would’ve added more history to the already historic season. It was the first time the Cowgirls had made match play in school history, the runner-up finish tied the best finish in school history and it was the first time the Cowgirls had made the national championship since the 2015-16 season. Robertson knows women’s teams at OSU are close to capturing the first women’s champion-
Cowgirl golf falls just short of the national title against Ole Miss.
ship for the school, and wishes they could’ve ended the drought Wednesday. “I know softball has a chance to make a run, and I hope they do it,” Robertson said. “I think we’re close in a lot of sports on the women’s side to doing something like this. I wish we would’ve gotten it done today, but there’s no reason we can’t get some banners up with women’s sports in Gallagher Iba here soon.” The Cowgirls season ended short of the ultimate goal— the
OSU Athletics
first women’s championship in OSU history— but they won’t be hanging their heads. The Cowgirls exceeded expectations in Robertson’s second season, first full season. The Cowgirls lineup consisted of only one golfer older than a sophomore, and included two freshmen. “I’m proud of them, and proud of what they did this week,” Robertson said. “It’s been a fun season, and a fun ride.” sports.ed@ocolly.com
Unforgettable journey time.
Sheyenne Mitchell-Brown Lifestyle Editor One email gave 12 college guys the opportunity of a lifetime. Pokeapella was going to New York. In the fall 2019 semester, Pokepella was requested to sing the national anthem in the Barclays Center for the Oklahoma State v.s. Syracuse basketball game. All the guys knew this was a life-changing moment in their hands, but there was one problem: money. The trip did not cover any expenses and the group had to find ways to finance the trip. How they did so was through a concert, a GoFundMe page and a good community. Justin Hughs, the vice president of Pokeapella,
COVID has not broken the brotherhood of this group as they move forward and grow.
said this was the group’s first-ever concert. He said that they had mainly performed for small events and other miscellaneous occasions, but this would be the first time the spot-
light was only on them. They called it “A Journey Down the Strip.” All their efforts paid off. They were off to New York. Jack Moffatt was a
Provided by Pokeapella.com.
freshman and new to the group when all this happened. He said it was almost by chance that he was able to join Pokeapella, and he must have been in the right place at the right
Being new to the group and younger than all the guys was a challenge for Moffatt at first, he said. However, being stuck on a bus, shoulder to shoulder, for 20 hours tends to make friendships easier to create. “It was kind of all a blur,” Moffatt said. “It was awesome. Just in the van, we were just singing songs and making jokes everywhere. I mean, it was awesome.” Moffatt said he initially picked the worst place to sit on the bus to give the more senior members a comfortable seat, but by the ride home they were all brothers and they could sit on each other’s laps if they wanted. Wesley Rice, another member of Pokeapella, and Hughes both said similar things about the ride up to Brooklyn and down to Stillwater: It was an unbelievable trip. However, the See Journey on pg. 3