House Concurrent Resolution 45

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE OLE MISS REBELS WOMEN'S GOLF TEAM AND COACH KORY HENKES FOR WINNING THE 2021 NCAA DIVISION I NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

WHEREAS, it was a fairytale ending for Ole Miss Women's Golf at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, defeating Oklahoma State University 4-1 on May 26, 2021, to capture the 2021 NCAA Division I National Championship; and

WHEREAS, with the title, the University of Mississippi claimed its first team National Championship since the school's 1962 football title, and these Rebels also became the first University of Mississippi women's team to claim an NCAA National Championship; and

WHEREAS, in the final match of the season, with a national championship on the line, Sophomore Chiara Tamburlini was eager to win her team a point for the first time and did just that out of the third position when the Switzerland native came out strong, birdieing three of her first seven holes, but more importantly, building a commanding six-hole lead through nine; though she conceded her first hole of the day on number 10 when she took a par 4 on number 12 to put the pressure on Oklahoma State University; and not wasting any time, Tamburlini won 6 and 5 to put the first point on the board; and

WHEREAS, Kennedy Swann teed off in her customary leadoff spot, extending her career match play record to 10-2 after being tied through the first six holes in match play before the senior began to separate herself by sinking an eagle on number 7 to go 1 up; and after the eagle, Swann continued with a birdie and a par to go 3-up heading into the back nine and Oklahoma State managed to cut the deficit to one, but the Austin, Texas, native responded, going stroke-for-stroke before sinking the final birdie on number 17 to snag the second point and inch Ole Miss that much closer to the title; and

WHEREAS, "It took a lot of players to buy in," said Head Coach Kory Henkes, "Our team is very disciplined, and I think that's what I pride us on the most. When we come out to practice, we have a purpose every single day, and we hold each other accountable which is the really cool part about it. We don't necessarily have to push them as much as they are going to push each other. I think that's the important part of team chemistry, having everyone buy into the same thing."; and

WHEREAS, during the postseason, the Ole Miss Women's Golf Team received many awards following its first national title in program history, including Head Coach Kory Henkes being named the 2020-2021 Division I Jackie Steinmann Women's Golf Coaches Association "National Coach of the Year," presented by Golf Pride, becoming the first Rebel Head Coach to earn the award from the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA); and

WHEREAS, Ole Miss finished in fourth place or better in nine of the team's 10 tournaments during the 2020-2021 season, including first place finishes at the East Lake Cup and Gators Invitational; the top five Ole Miss single-round averages throughout a season have all come during Coach Henkes' tenure, including the 2020-2021 mark of 289.4, which ranks second in program history; the nine top 5 team finishes during the 2020-2021 season are also a new school record; and Julia Johnson and Kennedy Swann earned WGCA All-American honors, with Johnson becoming the program's first-ever First Team All-American; and

WHEREAS, under Coach Henkes' guidance, Julia Johnson finished the season ranked eighth individually in the NCAA by both Golfstat and Golfweek and led the team in stroke average (71.34), tallying five Top 5, eight Top 10 and nine Top 20 finishes during this season, including a fifth place individual finish at the NCAA Championship; and

WHEREAS, the Ole Miss Women's Golf Team earned its first-ever WGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Award ranking 10th in the nation among more than 300 NCAA Division I schools with a cumulative team grade point average of 3.88 for the 2020-2021 academic year, and four Rebels were honored with the WGCA All-American Scholars: Ellen Hume, Andrea Lignell, Kennedy Swann and Chiara Tamburlini; and

WHEREAS, the members of the 2021 National Championship Ole Miss Women's Golf Team were: Kennedy Swann, Chiara Tamburlini, Julia Johnson, McKinley Cunningham, Natacha Host Husted, Ellen Hume, Ellen Hutchinson-Kay, Andrea Lignell, Smilla Sonderby and Macy Somoskey; and Head Coach Kory Henkes and Associate Head Coach Zack Byrd; and

WHEREAS, we join the students, faculty and sponsors in recognizing this special group of university athletes who reached the pinnacle of collegiate women's golf and have brought honor to their university, their community and to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate the Ole Miss Rebels Women's Golf Team and Head Coach Kory Henkes for winning the 2021 NCAA Division I National Championship, and extend to the athletes and coaches our best wishes for continued success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Head Coach Kory Henkes and Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce for the team, forwarded to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and furnished to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.