She’s known to her teammates as “the golfer who did everything.”
She was known to her coach as “the most organized player [he] had had in his 17 years of coaching.”
Personally, Paige Gooch sees herself as someone who always makes it a priority to take advantage of every opportunity she’s given.
“I was always interested in leadership positions, but I didn’t know how that would play out in college with being a golfer,” Gooch, a May graduate, explained. “But I had people who gave me confidence, telling me I could do it if I really wanted to.”
Having the ability to balance academics, athletics and other extracurricular as a college student is impressive within itself, but what sets Gooch apart from others are the awards and recognitions she received for it post graduation.
In June, Gooch was given the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Started in 1964, the scholarship is given to athletes during all three sports seasons. Gooch was one of 29 female athletes from her particular season to receive the award. The scholarship gives her a grant of $7,500.
Most recently, Gooch was one of only 10 division-three athletes to be named a nominee for 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year. The winner will be announced Oct. 19 at the JW Marriot hotel in Indianapolis.
“I feel very honored to receive recognitions for all my hard work and be able to bring recognition to my team,” Gooch said. “I’ve had amazing professors and a great coach in Vince Lazar to challenge me to continue to do better.”
Seeing what Gooch accomplished during her time at DePauw, one would find it hard for her to do any better. Apart from the two recognitions listed above, Gooch was also an active volunteer in various community service organizations, president of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority (2012-2013) and a member of the Presidential Ambassadors Committee (2013-2014).
“She is one of the most determined, passionate and hardworking people I have ever met,” said former teammate Abby Dickey, who also graduated last spring. “ We absolutely would not have been at the caliber we were at in Division III golf without her leadership both on and off the course.”
For her golf career, she was a four-year starter and finished in the top 14 during three of her four NCAA appearances. She was named Division III Freshman of the Year while also being named North Coast Athletic Conference Women’s Golfer of the Year twice.
“She’s extremely talented and worked hard to get better as an athlete,” said Vince Lazar, head coach of the women’s and men’s golf teams. “She took on a lot of responsibility each and every year. She never felt overwhelmed because she was able to lay things out in a logical manner. She raised the bar of accountability.”
Gooch graduated this past spring with a major in economics and a minor in mathematics while also being a member of the Cum Laude society. Currently, she is at Eli Lilly and Company as a global services financial analyst, working with the IT department on budgeting.
Her advice to freshman shouldn’t come as a surprise: “Take every opportunity you’re given, whether it’s branching out for a leadership position or staying up until 3 a.m. just talking to a friend.”
In their first season without her, Gooch’s Tigers have gotten off to a solid start. After a second place finish at the Anderson University Fall Invitational, the Tigers will compete in the O’Brian Invitational on Sept. 14 and 15.
