North Carolina State University Athletics
On Course With Briana Vega
10/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Oct. 23, 2002
Throughout the women's golf season, GoPack.com will feature a series of special interviews with members of the women's golf team. The series is generated to create an interest in the team and the individuals that are competing and representing NC State. This week, we sat down with Briana Vega.
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Nickname: Bri
Birthday: 3/18/82
Former College: UNC-Greensboro (2 years)
Class: Junior
Major: Psychology - with a concentration in Sport Psychology
Hometown: North Andover, Mass.
Parent's Names: Alan and Sheila Vega
Where are you from?
This is complicated. I was born in New Jersey, but lived in Illinois for a while before we moved to Massachusetts. Then we were in New Jersy again. Once I graduated from high school, I went to school in Greensboro, now, I'm in Raleigh.
Which place was your favorite?
Definitely New Jersey. My family lives about 20 minutes outside of Boston now. There are cool baseball parks near where we live, and it's not too far from the beach. We live close to New Hampshire too, and it's great to go shopping there because everything is tax free, a definite plus.
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
One sister, she is married and lives out in Wisconsin.
What was your first impression of NC State?
This is a lot bigger than UNC-Greensboro, but it wasn't that intimidating. The whole atmosphere is filled with school spirit and tradition and I love that. I'm really excited to be here, and to be a part of that. I love sports, and I got to go to my first NC State football game when we played Duke this past weekend. All of the other home games have conflicted with our tournament schedule. We sat in the corner of the new stands close to the band. It was a lot of fun to see them jumping around and showing their excitement. It's great to be at a school that has a football team.
Have you ever made a hole in one?
No...I haven't even seen one! Two of my teammates have had them. One was in qualifying, that was Gwen Watson. Then Sarah Bonner had one at the ACC/SEC Challenge. Mine is coming!!!
How many clubs do you carry on the course?
I carry the regulation amount, 14. If I could get away with 15, I would try. I need all the tools I can have.
What kind of shot do you like the most?
I like fairway wood shots a lot. I hit the ball really high, so it creates an advantage in that situation. I'm getting better at my short game but wood shots are my favorite.
Who is your favorite golfer?
Sergio Garcias. I don't know why I like him, but, I do.
What's your favorite kind of candy?
Butterfinger! I love them, but I try not to buy them cause I know Coach probably wouldn't like it if she knew. (Shh!)
What type of training/nutrition guide do you do you follow?
Well, I've tried to quit eating Butterfingers and quit drinking Pepsi. I have slowly weaned myself down to one a day. A 'Pepsi Patch' would be nice. (laughs) We eat special snacks when we're on the course and drink a lot of fluids. We have a cardio-workout that we do. We are in groups of three and we try to see which group can run or walk the most miles in a month. I do about 15 a week, but that's nothing compared to what some of the other girls do.
What kind of relationship do you have with your teammates?
We are all really close. We all hang out together on the weekends so that's a lot of fun.
Who is your roommate and what do you like about living with them?
I have two roommates. My teammate, Courtney Pomeranz, is one of them. The other is a friend of mine from Greensboro who used to play tennis there. So all three of us are transfer students. Our apartment is set up well and we have our space so that's great. Courtney is a great cook and I love it when she cooks for me. She fixes BBQ chicken, fajitas... I'm a picky eater and when she asks what I want I usually just tell her I want it plain. I think that annoys her. She cooks some really good food though, it's great.
What do you cook for yourself?
Hot dogs on the George Forman, I cook some really good canned spaghetti sauce. I'm going to try and grill chicken on the Forman grill someday. I thought Easy Mac was fool-proof until I definitely messed it up yesterday when I didn't put enough water in it. I was like, 'Oh, this is something an eight year-old is supposed to be able to do by themselves...this is bad.'
What's your favorite home cooked meal?
My mom cooks a really great pork tenderloin with potatoes. I'm trying to learn to make it, but I'm a terrible cook, I can't wait to go home and get fed.
Do you miss home?
Ugh...yes! I wish I lived closer to home, but I'm glad my parents come to my tournaments. It's good to see them. They are really supportive and that's important. ...And then there's the food issue.
 Vage with Coach Marsh at the Tar Heel Invitational. |
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She is awesome! I like her a lot. She's a great motivator and she makes you feel like she has a lot of confidence in you, which makes you have more confidence in yourself. She has really high expectations and never settles for anything. She is happy when we play well, but she always makes us evaluate our play and think about what we could do better. You're always improving under her coaching. I think I'm really goal-oriented and she has helped me to set small goals, which lead to bigger and bigger goals throughout the season.
Do you keep up with the Golfweek rankings?
Yes, my dad is a real number cruncher so he's always on the internet looking for that kind of stuff. Our team has been off for two weeks and I've moved up 10 spots I think. My dad said, 'You're doing a good job! You're in the top 100 again!' It's exciting to see where you rank.
How do you like the competition you are playing against this year?
Oh it's awesome! It's very competitive. The first couple of tournaments we went to were really nice. We played against some of the top 10 schools across the nation, so it says a lot about our team that we can compete with them.
Have you played on the Furman Golf Course before? (cite of this weekend's Furman Invitational)
Yes, my old team (UNC-Greensboro) played in the Furman Invite the past two years, so I played when I was with them.
What do you want to be "when you grow up?"
Well, I really just want to golf. But if things don't work out, I'd like to return to school and get my PhD in sports psychology. Or, maybe I could teach golf.
