PELLA—All signs are pointing up as coach Tabitha Schumacher enters year two with the Central College women's golf squad.
           
A pair of all-conference performers headline a veteran squad that returns its entire top five from a young squad that was forced to settle for fourth place in the American Rivers. Yet with all the returning experience, there's still not a senior on the roster.
           
"It's still a learning experience for them because it's still a really young team," Schumacher said.
           
Mackenzie Biggs (sophomore, Bloomington, Ill., Normal Community HS) was an instant-impact performer, recording four top-five finishes in six tournaments, including a third-place effort at the 54-hole conference meet. She recorded a team-best 81.9 stroke average in the fall.
           
Meanwhile Delaney Underwood (junior, Mitchellville, Colfax-Mingo HS) was ninth at the league tourney and averaged 82.2. She had the team's lowest combined fall-spring average at 82.59.
           
"Those two are kind of the leaders of the team with their work ethic, where they want to go and what they feel like the team can accomplish," Schumacher said. "That's exciting after coming in with a team that only had three sophomores and five freshmen last year. It's nice to have two players who are ready to step into that role."
           
Several others could contend for the No. 3 spot, including a newcomer, junior Thea Lunning (Mason City), a transfer from North Iowa Community College who was a junior college tourney national qualifier last spring.
           
"I think she's someone who can definitely make an impact," Schumacher said. "I'm excited to see how she does this fall."
           
Junior Delaney Underwood (Mitchellville, Colfax-Mingo HS), sophomore Peyton Bytnar (Bettendorf), junior Whitney Anderson (Sioux Rapids, Sioux Central HS), junior Madison Clark (Bloomington, Ill., Central Catholic HS) and sophomore Avery Woods (Long Grove, North Scott HS) all cracked the top five multiple times last year. Their stroke averages last fall were tightly bunched from 88.7 for Bytnar to 91.1 for Woods.
           
"They're all right there in the mix," Schumacher said.

Other contenders include sophomores Rachel Sohn (Sutherland, South O'Brien HS) and Kassidi Steel (New Sharon, North Mahaska HS) and three freshmen, Parker Stout (Lowden, North Cedar HS), Mallory Sobkowich (Seneca, Ill.) and Lydia Grond (Hull, Boyden-Hull HS).
               
"They have a chance as well," Schumacher said. "I think it's going to be really competitive and intense sometimes but ultimately, it's what's going to make the team better. It's going to fuel them to work harder, knowing that their spot in the top five is not a given, which makes it fun."
               
Schumacher also likes the intangibles she's sensing within the squad.
               
"I think the team culture is amazing," she said. "They kind of blew my expectations out of the water.
               
"As the team continues to grow, that's really important, making sure that the newcomers feel like they're part of the family right away. It helps everything and makes practices and tournaments that much more enjoyable. They definitely know how to have fun, but they know when they've got to put the work in and practice hard."
               
Moving up in the league standings is a priority but a challenging one. The University of Dubuque and Wartburg College took the top two spots in the conference last year and Schumacher calls them the teams to beat this fall as well when the tourney is played Oct. 10-12, again at the Ames Country Club.
               
"I'm excited to see what happens because if we put in a good tournament, I really think we can be right there with those two teams," she said.
               
A subtle change this fall that Schumacher views as significant is a yardage adjustment. The minimum tournament standard for a par-72 course was dropped from 5,800 yards to 5,600.
               
"We're not the longest-hitting team in the conference and I think that could be something that benefits a majority of our players," she said.
               
With many colleges returning to action this fall after opting out of competition altogether last year due to the pandemic, the schedule will have a little different look.
               
"We've got a mix so we're not going to see the same conference schools every single weekend like we did last year," Schumacher said. "I like that it gives us a little variety. There are tournaments where if we play well, we can win and there are going to be tournaments where we're shown, OK, where do we need to keep working on? There will be some good tests that give us great competition."