Lehigh University Athletics
4/19/2017 11:02:00 AM | Women's Golf, Student Athlete, Features
By Austin Vitelli '17, Lehigh Sports Communications
The team is everything to Elizabeth McGarrigle.
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As a captain and the lone senior on the Lehigh women's golf team, she has a lot of responsibility in making sure things run smoothly.
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But it's never too much for her.
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At one tournament this year, a teammate spilled something on her uniform skirt the day of an event. Not wanting to make a big deal about it or tell the coach, McGarrigle called the front desk at the team hotel to see if they had anything that could remove the stain.
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Upon learning they had something at the gift shop — which was a full mile away — she sprinted there and back, used her own money to get a Tide to Go stick and washed the teammate's skirt to make sure everything was fine.
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"And then there was no problem whatsoever, she just took it upon herself and did everything that needed to be done to make sure everything was still running smoothly," sophomore teammate Reagan Jahn said.
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The next tournament, she made sure they had a Tide to Go just in case.
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So it's no wonder McGarrigle is majoring in industrial and systems engineering, which places a heavy emphasis on efficiency and organization.
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She was first-team All-Patriot League and Academic All-Patriot League last year and has been named to the league's academic honor roll all three years. She's in her final year at Lehigh and her second as the golf team's captain.
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She's maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout most of her semesters, contributing to the team's 3.655 GPA last year, the highest among all teams at Lehigh. And in her second year as captain, she's taken on an even bigger role, whether it be making the practice schedule, sending her teammates a packing list before they leave for a tournament or ordering breakfast ahead of time for the team.
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McGarrigle said she really grew as a captain in her second year, especially with speaking up and solving issues.
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"(Last year) if there was some sort of conflict, I was not going to bring it up," she said. "But this year, if I hear a whisper of a conflict, I'll be like, 'Do you need something? I will be your champion, I will go to coach and ask for whatever you need.' I feel like it's been difficult, but it's been more of a real-life skill that you're going to use."
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Lehigh head coach Judy Dwyer said how much she appreciates McGarrigle's proactive attitude, emphasizing how great of a person she is.
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"She is one of the finest people I know," Dwyer said. "She has the greatest of hearts."
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Always smiling, and especially always laughing, McGarrigle's positivity is contagious. Jahn remembered when she first met her as a high school senior at a Lehigh women's golf team dinner in 2015.
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Laughter erupted across the room, over and over grabbing Jahn's attention as she wondered whose laugh could be so infectious. When she ultimately got to Lehigh and heard that booming laugh again, she smiled, realizing who it was.
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"She's always laughing, you can hear her laughing from a mile away," Jahn said.
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Junior Megan Moylan, another of McGarrigle's teammates, said the same thing. She couldn't remember when she saw her, but she remembers the first time she heard her laugh.
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McGarrigle first started playing golf when she was 10 years old. She tried playing other sports, even playing basketball through 11th grade, but she realized quickly she was much better at golf.
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"I can't throw a ball, I can't catch a ball, I can't kick a ball, but for whatever reason I can play golf," she said laughing.
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She said her parents never played golf, but her father wanted to get into the sport and figured the best way to do so was to have his kids play it. Her three siblings play golf too, one at Ursinus College and the other in high school. She said some of her favorite memories with her sisters happened on the golf course.
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McGarrigle admitted, while laughing of course, that when she was looking at colleges, she put golf first and academics second, but when she got a call that Lehigh was interested, she knew it'd be the perfect match.
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And being from Wernersville, Pennsylvania, just about an hour southwest of Lehigh, she didn't have to travel far. She said as soon as she got the call from Lehigh, she turned to her dad and told him that's where she wanted to go.
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Since arriving at Lehigh, she's been one of the program's top performers, improving her average round score each year from 85.2 freshman year to 79.9 last year as a junior.
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This spring, McGarrigle had her best performance at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate, shooting a season-best 77 in the first round and then a 78 in the third round. Most recently, she posted a 79 in the second round of the Navy Spring Invitational on April 9. Her low round for the entire season was a 73 in Navy's Fall Invitational in September.
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Dwyer credits the team's success this year to McGarrigle, saying how having a captain like her who is so determined both academically and athletically really sets the tone for the team's atmosphere.
Â
"I hope she wins some awards at Lehigh," Dwyer said. "I know there's some amazing other student athletes, but to be honest with you, I've never seen anybody like her."
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McGarrigle said she's lucky that golf is a sport she can play long after college ends. She plans to move down to Richmond, Virginia, and wants to play golf both recreationally and competitively once she graduates.
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But when she ultimately leaves Lehigh, she'll have left a lasting impression on her teammates. Jahn continuously stressed how McGarrigle would always help someone else before helping herself, regardless of how much work she had.
Â
And that's what made her the complete person in other people's minds.
Â
"She's just one of those people you want to be around and is good at so many things that we're always like, 'Okay Lizzie, we can't all be that good,'" Jahn said smiling. "And she's so nice, I don't think she could hurt a fly actually, she just doesn't want to be mean to anyone. She's just definitely a great leader for the team."
Â
She'll be able to lead the team one last time when it competes in the Patriot League Championship, which Lehigh will host April 22-23 on the Grace Course at Saucon Valley Country Club.
Â
The team is everything to Elizabeth McGarrigle.
Â
As a captain and the lone senior on the Lehigh women's golf team, she has a lot of responsibility in making sure things run smoothly.
Â
But it's never too much for her.
Â
At one tournament this year, a teammate spilled something on her uniform skirt the day of an event. Not wanting to make a big deal about it or tell the coach, McGarrigle called the front desk at the team hotel to see if they had anything that could remove the stain.
Â
Upon learning they had something at the gift shop — which was a full mile away — she sprinted there and back, used her own money to get a Tide to Go stick and washed the teammate's skirt to make sure everything was fine.
Â
"And then there was no problem whatsoever, she just took it upon herself and did everything that needed to be done to make sure everything was still running smoothly," sophomore teammate Reagan Jahn said.
Â
The next tournament, she made sure they had a Tide to Go just in case.
Â
So it's no wonder McGarrigle is majoring in industrial and systems engineering, which places a heavy emphasis on efficiency and organization.
Â
She was first-team All-Patriot League and Academic All-Patriot League last year and has been named to the league's academic honor roll all three years. She's in her final year at Lehigh and her second as the golf team's captain.
Â
She's maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout most of her semesters, contributing to the team's 3.655 GPA last year, the highest among all teams at Lehigh. And in her second year as captain, she's taken on an even bigger role, whether it be making the practice schedule, sending her teammates a packing list before they leave for a tournament or ordering breakfast ahead of time for the team.
Â
McGarrigle said she really grew as a captain in her second year, especially with speaking up and solving issues.
Â
"(Last year) if there was some sort of conflict, I was not going to bring it up," she said. "But this year, if I hear a whisper of a conflict, I'll be like, 'Do you need something? I will be your champion, I will go to coach and ask for whatever you need.' I feel like it's been difficult, but it's been more of a real-life skill that you're going to use."
Â
Lehigh head coach Judy Dwyer said how much she appreciates McGarrigle's proactive attitude, emphasizing how great of a person she is.
Â
"She is one of the finest people I know," Dwyer said. "She has the greatest of hearts."
Â
Always smiling, and especially always laughing, McGarrigle's positivity is contagious. Jahn remembered when she first met her as a high school senior at a Lehigh women's golf team dinner in 2015.
Â
Laughter erupted across the room, over and over grabbing Jahn's attention as she wondered whose laugh could be so infectious. When she ultimately got to Lehigh and heard that booming laugh again, she smiled, realizing who it was.
Â
"She's always laughing, you can hear her laughing from a mile away," Jahn said.
Â
Junior Megan Moylan, another of McGarrigle's teammates, said the same thing. She couldn't remember when she saw her, but she remembers the first time she heard her laugh.
Â
McGarrigle first started playing golf when she was 10 years old. She tried playing other sports, even playing basketball through 11th grade, but she realized quickly she was much better at golf.
Â
"I can't throw a ball, I can't catch a ball, I can't kick a ball, but for whatever reason I can play golf," she said laughing.
Â
She said her parents never played golf, but her father wanted to get into the sport and figured the best way to do so was to have his kids play it. Her three siblings play golf too, one at Ursinus College and the other in high school. She said some of her favorite memories with her sisters happened on the golf course.
Â
McGarrigle admitted, while laughing of course, that when she was looking at colleges, she put golf first and academics second, but when she got a call that Lehigh was interested, she knew it'd be the perfect match.
Â
And being from Wernersville, Pennsylvania, just about an hour southwest of Lehigh, she didn't have to travel far. She said as soon as she got the call from Lehigh, she turned to her dad and told him that's where she wanted to go.
Â
Since arriving at Lehigh, she's been one of the program's top performers, improving her average round score each year from 85.2 freshman year to 79.9 last year as a junior.
Â
This spring, McGarrigle had her best performance at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate, shooting a season-best 77 in the first round and then a 78 in the third round. Most recently, she posted a 79 in the second round of the Navy Spring Invitational on April 9. Her low round for the entire season was a 73 in Navy's Fall Invitational in September.
Â
Dwyer credits the team's success this year to McGarrigle, saying how having a captain like her who is so determined both academically and athletically really sets the tone for the team's atmosphere.
Â
"I hope she wins some awards at Lehigh," Dwyer said. "I know there's some amazing other student athletes, but to be honest with you, I've never seen anybody like her."
Â
McGarrigle said she's lucky that golf is a sport she can play long after college ends. She plans to move down to Richmond, Virginia, and wants to play golf both recreationally and competitively once she graduates.
Â
But when she ultimately leaves Lehigh, she'll have left a lasting impression on her teammates. Jahn continuously stressed how McGarrigle would always help someone else before helping herself, regardless of how much work she had.
Â
And that's what made her the complete person in other people's minds.
Â
"She's just one of those people you want to be around and is good at so many things that we're always like, 'Okay Lizzie, we can't all be that good,'" Jahn said smiling. "And she's so nice, I don't think she could hurt a fly actually, she just doesn't want to be mean to anyone. She's just definitely a great leader for the team."
Â
She'll be able to lead the team one last time when it competes in the Patriot League Championship, which Lehigh will host April 22-23 on the Grace Course at Saucon Valley Country Club.
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Players Mentioned
Thursday, August 13
Friday, April 17
Monday, February 09
Thursday, February 20
