K-State Women’s Golf Adds Grad Transfer Brooke Nolte
(Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics)
MANHATTAN, Kan. — K-State women’s golf has added Brooke Nolte, a graduate student-athlete with conference championship and NCAA Regional experience, to its 2020-21 roster, Wildcats head coach Kristi Knight announced Wednesday.
Nolte, from Melissa, Texas in the north suburbs of Dallas, sat out the 2019-20 season while finishing her undergraduate degree in communication studies at Texas Tech and has one season of eligibility remaining after several collegiate stops, including helping UTSA to a Conference USA Championship and NCAA Regional bid in 2019.
“We’re excited about adding Brooke to our roster,” Knight said. “She brings quite a bit of experience. Her game has developed and matured during her time as a college golfer and she helped lead her team to NCAAs while at UTSA. We’re really looking forward to adding Brooke along with incoming freshmen Gabriela McNelly (Mico, Texas) and Napua Glossner (San Diego, Calif.).”
Nolte hasn’t wasted any time getting to know her future teammates, particularly McNelly, with whom she played a practice round Monday prior to the start of this week’s Texas Women’s Open on Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas. The future Wildcats were tied near the middle of the field after shooting 7-over 78 in the opening round Tuesday and both had separate morning tee times on Wednesday.
“She saw that we were both in the field, reached out and wanted to play the official practice round together,” McNelly said. “She was a great player, great person, it was nice to have her around. I think it’s going to be great having her on the team.”
McNelly admitted there was a little rust in her first competitive round of the season, going six over on the final four holes after shooting 1-over through 14. Nolte was impressed by her young teammate-to-be, and was excited to be back on the course in a field of talented players that includes Olympians, LPGA Tour winners, a former US Open winner and last year’s LPGA Outstanding Rookie, among others.
“I saw a lot of positive things,” Nolte said of her Texas Open start. “I’ve been working hard with my swing coach, working out for more distance. I was really excited, really happy to be back out there. I’m happy to be back competing and excited for the fall and to get back to college golf.”
Nolte, who will be pursuing a master’s degree in academic advising, was a four-time region and district champion at Melissa High School before signing with Bowling Green in the Class of 2016. Nolte played the following season at Colorado State, where she helped the Rams to a program-best, third-place finish at the Mountain West Conference Championship, then transferred to UTSA where she fired a career-best 69 (-3) in the final round to help the Roadrunners clinch the Conference USA title and spot in the NCAA Norman Regional.
K-State’s 2019-20 season was abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 Pandemic with two regular season events and the Big 12 Championships left un-played. The Wildcats’ claimed one team and individual title last season as Niamh McSherry led the team to a win on its home course, Colbert Hills, in the Marilynn Smith/Sunflower Invitational. K-State graduated one player, fifth-year senior Chloe Weir, and senior-to-be Darby Deans will no longer compete but remain at K-State.
