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07/16/2014 12:00 AMNormally the term "above par" carries a negative tone in golf, but for Sienna Fucci and her high school career, she shot high above in a positive way by hitting her goals and reaching new heights.
The four-year Indians' player was the only female member of the squad during her tenure. After notching an All-State bid her sophomore year, Sienna repeated that feat this spring while also qualifying for the New England Championship.
"Being the only girl on the team, it was a shock to them and made me a little nervous, but I learned a lot of great lessons from it," says Sienna, who will be playing golf for Methodist University in North Carolina. "It doesn't matter the gender. You just have to do your best and we can all have the same goals as a team."
Sienna adds that the only highlight reel that matters in golf is the picture of one's scorecard after an outing of nine or 18 holes. She also feels that perfecting every last stroke plays a pivotal role in the final tally.
"There were fears there in the beginning. For example, if I hit a 220-yard drive and a boy hits a 250 one, that can be intimidating, but the final score is all that matters," Sienna says. "I thought the best way to apply myself was to just work on my short game and my overall game."
One impressive score was the 84 Sienna shot at the Girls' State Championship, a mark was tied for the eighth best individual showing on the day. She saw the strong finish to her year as a token of all her midseason adjustments.
"The All-State honor didn't set in as much sophomore year as it did this year. It was a huge honor for me because I was working so hard in the middle of the year and posted a solid round at states," says Sienna. "Sometimes this year, I lost the concept that it's about scoring and not distance so I worked with my short game to recover on my score. At states, I tried to make pars, and even bogeys were acceptable on certain holes. I didn't get as many birdies as I wanted, yet I pared many important holes and hit a lot of greens and regulations."
For the Regional round in New Hampshire two weeks later, Sienna admits her performance wasn't her best, but she was pleased by the simple fact she made it to such a high level of competition.
"I didn't do well and my nerves set in. I have to learn to control my nerves, take things one shot at a time, and come back after bad shots," Sienna says. "One of the things I think playing collegiate golf will help me with is handling nerves. It still meant the world, though, to get there, as my dad and I dedicated a great deal of time during the season to fixing things."
Head Coach Art Fonicello states that Sienna's contributions to the Indians went beyond solid scores and pin shots because she was always willing to put others before herself.
"Sienna's playing abilities were certainly an important part of our golf program over the past four years," says Fonicello. "What really stands out when I think about what she has done for us over the past four years would be her work ethic and willingness to help her coach and teammates. The difference between someone like Sienna and the average athlete would be that I never had to ask her to do anything. She would always ask me first."
The business major is now ready to begin the next phase of her athletic and academic careers, yet not before reflecting upon the great times and memories gained from Guilford.
"I loved playing here for Guilford and it was such a great experience," says Sienna, who thanks parents Robert and Laura, along with her sister Madison, her high school coaches, and Hand girls' golf Head Coach Jon Wilson. "It taught me a great deal about what it means being on a team. It was great and I look back on it and am so gracious."