Women’s Disc Golf Wins First Title

The Liberty Women’s Disc Golf team won their first national title Saturday, April 14.

Head Coach Steve Bowman is very proud of his team’s accomplishments and what they have ahead of them. The team won by 40 strokes over second-place South Arkansas, throwing a combined +90 over five rounds.

“I know the biggest thing that was really cool was that when the girls were competing in that final round, pretty much the whole team was there, walking with them, cheering them on,” Bowman said. “So, it wasn’t just four girls that won, it was really the whole team that won, that put all that time in in practice, saw the efforts that they had done.”

Bowman spoke very highly of his team, saying they played as a collective unit and were very supportive of each other. He mentioned many of the girls’ improvements, especially those who were new to the team. He said they improved their form very much and continuously lowered their scores.

Bowman also said that that even though it is an individual sport, the team also has to be collaborative in order to succeed individually. He was proud of the way the entire team came together and constantly cheered each other on from start to finish. Bowman also mentioned another reason why the girls were happy to win a title.

“They were excited because it’s an automatic bid back for next year,” he said. “So, that pressure coming into the next season in the fall is going to be really off of everybody’s shoulders. They can really focus on just playing together, the team dynamic.”

The girls felt a sort of relief when they won the championship, on top of excitement. They were excited to win a national title, but they were also ecstatic to have an automatic bid next year. This automatic bid allows the team’s focus to be entirely on improving instead of qualifying.

On the other hand, the men’s team finished tied for 18 in their respective flight. Bowman said they had a chance to win the championship (for what) even going into the last day, but ultimately, they fell by 63 throws off the lead.

“For them, I think the guys are focused and really excited about where we can go next year,” Bowman said.

He said that while they were not able to bring home a championship, the men’s team is remaining confident. They are already focusing on improving and becoming better for another run next year.

Amongst all of this work that they put in on the disc golf course, Liberty disc golf is constantly challenged by their coach to go out and show teams who they are in Christ.

“At some point there’s going to be a lull in the conversation where I challenge them to share their own story, their journey that God’s kind has kind of taken them on,” Bowman said.

He said he challenges his team to talk about their testimony and their walk with God. He wants them to be able to show other’s how Christ lives in them while being someone who is there for people in need.

Bowman also mentioned that the national title has already brought in recruiting opportunities. People see that this is a championship team and they are interested to be part of it.

“The team knows that there’s going to be guys that are going to come in and be pushing for their spots on the team, so there’s nothing that’s given that’s an automatic,” Bowman said. “You’ve got to come in and prove and put the time in in the summer time.”

Nothing is a given, and Bowman said the team realizes this. They are not guaranteed a spot on the team just because of their output this season.

He said the players will go out and compete individually this summer. They will keep him updated on their results and try to get even better. If they take the summer off, Bowman said, it will be difficult for them to automatically regain that touch.

The men’s team will look to claim their first title next year after putting in work this upcoming offseason. The women on the other hand will be working toward back-to-back titles.