Montezuma-Cortez senior Amita Crowley is surrounded by family and friends as she officially commits to play golf at St. Olaf College. Photo courtesy of Robert Laymon
Panthers’ No. 1 girls player signs with Division III school
CORTEZ – On a late March evening at the driving range, a pair of golfers cut silhouettes against the setting sun. Senior Amita Crowley, the Panthers’ top golfer, pauses to help a younger teammate with her swing. The moment reflects the standard she has set throughout her career.
Be a good teammate first.
Golf’s solitary nature and challenges – the course, the conditions, the mental grind – can isolate players. Crowley has faced it all, but she continues to invest in her Montezuma-Cortez teammates while leading from the front.
Head coach Jarrett Watkins says that team-first approach has made a lasting impact on the program.
“It’s like having another coach out there,” Watkins said. “The girls listen to her because they see all the work that she’s put in.”
That work won’t end when Crowley collects her diploma next month. On Tuesday, she officially committed to play collegiate golf at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
The Division III college, located 40 miles south of the Twin Cities, competes in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. St. Olaf drew Crowley’s attention because of its academic rigor and strong sense of community.
“They were following me through social media, and I had a chance to visit and talk with Coach Brian Stevens, and he really showed me that he cares for his team and me as a person,” Crowley said. “It was a really welcoming environment.”
Crowley and classmate Afton Unrein moved into the Nos. 1 and 2 spots entering their junior year, but Crowley had already established herself among the top players in her classification as a freshman. Her scores regularly settled in the upper 70s and low 80s. She placed 13th at the Class 3A state tournament as a sophomore, then improved to a tie for 11th after the Panthers moved to Class 2A.
Montezuma-Cortez senior Amita Crowley is surrounded by family and friends as she commits to play golf at St. Olaf College. Photo courtesy of Robert Laymon
Much of Crowley’s growth has come from improvements on the mental side of the game, along with added physical strength that has increased her driving distance. That progress has helped her rebound from early struggles this season, posting strong back nines to earn top-five individual finishes in Delta and Farmington.
“I’m not losing myself in my rounds – I’ll say ‘that didn’t go well,’ but then readjust and go from there,” Crowley said.
Her development was also shaped by the staff at Conquistador Golf Course, who mentored her throughout her junior golf career.
“I don’t think I’d be where I am at all without Micah and Anett Rudosky and former coach Travis Wright,” Crowley said. “They’ve created such a positive environment and really show that they care.”
Crowley has carried those lessons forward, passing them along to her teammates and helping the M-CHS girls golf program continue its run of producing strong teams and individuals.
“There’s been a lot of team bonding this year, and we’ve been really focused on making each other better,” Crowley said.
As for what comes next, collegiate golf has always been part of the plan.
“There was never a feeling that I had to go Division I,” Crowley said. “I just wanted to continue to play the sport.”
She’ll look to make an impact for the Oles this fall after the team placed seventh in the MIAC, while pursuing a degree in economics with a focus on finance.
With just a few weeks remaining in her high school career, Crowley and Unrein hope to join an illustrious list of four-year state qualifiers and, more important, savor the memories of their time in orange and black.
Unrein, who plans to attend Weber State University this fall to study radiology, summed it up: “We’re sad to see our time together coming to an end, but St. Olaf’s gaining a great teammate.”
