If you see a distinct glimmer when you watch the Sac State women’s golf team, it’s because Margaux Sheehan has become the unquestionable shining star, not only of the team, but also of the entire Big Sky Conference.

Sheehan has developed into one of the premier golfers in the conference by building a record of accomplishments unprecedented for the women’s team.

Since last summer, her accomplishments include winning the San Diego State Tournament, along with the Lady Aztec Fall Classic in October, and being named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week twice in November.

In the Lady Aztec Tournament she set a 54-hole program record with a 217, including a record 68 in the first round. Just this month she was named the second ranked player in the Big Sky Conference, an honor never before bestowed upon a Sac State women’s golfer.

Sheehan’s path to excellence on the links has been far from traditional. She was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, which, with its reputation as the ice capital of the country, doesn’t seem to be an environment highly conducive to the development of a love for golf. Sheehan, however, says that even though there are only eleven courses in the entire state, the sport is incredibly popular due to the long daylight hours.

“It’s huge in the summer,” Sheehan said. “The first tee time is at five in the morning, and the last is at ten at night, so there’s a lot of daylight to get your practice in.”

Sheehan didn’t actually become seriously interested in golf until she was sixteen, and even then she didn’t play on her high school team, leaving her relatively inexperienced compared to the rest of the girls on the team.

“I played a lot of sports growing up like softball, tennis, and basketball, but I could only play golf three or four months out of the year,” Sheehan said. “As I got older, I started going into tournaments outside Alaska, just to get some exposure, but I still didn’t take it too seriously. I never thought I could win a college tournament with my experience.”

Adam Pohll, head coach of the women’s golf team, said that that inexperience clearly showed when Margaux first joined the team.

“The lack of experience was very evident when she first started,” Pohll said. “She always had the physical ability, but mentally she couldn’t get it done because she hadn’t been there before.” Pohll also said that Margaux’s game matured substantially after her win last summer in the Alaska State Amateur Tournament.

“Margaux totally changed after that win,” Pohll said. “She came back a totally different player. Before, if she had a bad round, you could count her out for the rest of the year. Now she just goes out there knowing she can win.”

Sheehan is decidedly humble about her myriad accomplishments, but she certainly can’t help but take a little pride.

“I’m definitely proud of it, and it’s great to see my name up there (in the record books). However, it’s only going to keep me more focused. I’d love to beat (the records) again.”

Paul Rice can be reached at [email protected]