North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Derrey Benefits From Change in Attitude
5/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
May 10, 2006
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH - NC State sophomore golfer Stephanie Derrey admits that she let her temper and stubbornness get in the way of her freshman season.
She was quite upset when Wolfpack women's golf coach Page Marsh pulled her out of the lineup last spring, after she refused to listen to the coach's advice. She even said a few curse words in French, which was one of the things that was getting her in trouble on the golf course to begin with.
But following a summer to reflect, and multiple sessions with the team's sports psychologist, Elizabeth Hedgpeth, and Derrey has had a change in attitude.
And performance.
As the Wolfpack heads into action at the NCAA Regional Championship Wednesday on Thursday at Bryan Park Golf Club in Browns Summit, N.C., the sophomore from Paris has become the Wolfpack's top player this season, after playing only three events last year as a freshman.
She has the No. 37 team's lowest stroke average this season, at 76.4 per round in eight tournaments.
"I played in the first three varsity events last spring, and then coach pointed some things out to me," Derrey said. "I had a bad attitude on the golf course. I was getting mad and it was holding me back. Coach told me I needed to work on it.
"She took me out of the lineup and I was really mad. I was like `No, no, you are wrong.' I can be like that at times. I don't want to accept things."
Eventually, Derrey came around, with the help of Dr. Hedgpeth, who helped her realize that every time she got mad about a bad shot, it affected her next two shots. Once she got her temper in control, she started to play better.
"I know even Tiger Woods hits bad shots," Derrey said. "Now, when I hit a bad shot, I tell myself `It's OK, I can get it back.' Controlling my temper gave me more confidence, and when you have more confidence you play better."
Now, the French native feels much better about fulfilling her life-long dream of coming to the United States to play college golf. She spent at least one month every summer since she was 13 playing in junior golf tournaments in the States, hoping to catch the eye of a college recruiter.
That's exactly what happened three years ago when she happened to be paired with NC State recruit Jessica Vincent of Burlington, NC. Then-Wolfpack assistant coach Dickie Brewer went to see Vincent play and noticed Derrey as well. He eventually contacted her about coming to NC State on an official visit and she liked what she saw.
"It was pure luck for me," Derrey said.
The adjustment was difficult for Derrey, who speaks French and Spanish fluently (she spent five years in Argentina from age 2-7) but was less comfortable with English. She relied heavily on her new teammates to help her adjust, by doing things like correcting her grammar and teaching her the basic rules of weird American sports like football.
Now, other than a light accent, Derrey sounds like any other college student.
"They took the time to explain things that I didn't understand," Derrey said. "That's what I like about being here. We are a small family."
Derrey, who has one Top 10 performance this season and was tied for 22nd at the ACC Championship, hopes she and her newfound family can perform well in the NCAA regional. This is the fifth time in the six-year history of the program that Marsh has taken her team in to a regional, but the Wolfpack is still looking to advance for the first time to the NCAA Championship, which will be held May 23-26 at the Scarlett Course in Columbus, Ohio.
The Wolfpack is seeded 12th in the 21-team region and needs to finish in the top eight in the three-day event to advance to the championship.
"There are teams that are seeded in front of us, like Florida State, Alabama, Virginia, a few teams like that that we have beaten during the year," Derrey said. "We have shown throughout the year that we can put two days together. This tournament, we know we need three low rounds in the tournament.
"We know what we need to do. It's a matter of putting together."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
