Oct. 21, 2004

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University women's golfer Katja Trygg has come a long way since wandering into Viking head coach Dean Russell's office at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club two years ago.

"She came in and said she'd like to play golf," Russell said. "I took her out to the range, watched her hit some balls and gave her a spot on the team."

That has turned out to be a good decision. After a non-descript high school career at Bainbridge Island High School, Trygg has not only become Western's top golfer, she ranks third nationally in NCAA Division II with a 75.3 scoring average.

"It feels good because there wasn't a lot of interest in me coming out of high school, no one recruited me," Trygg said. "But I wanted to play golf, so I came here and it definitely worked out for the best."

"Katja is really one of those late bloomers," said Russell, whose Vikings are No.17 nationally in the latest Golfstat/NCAA II rankings. "She played well in high school, but she has really grown to meet the challenges of college golf."

Trygg, a junior at Western, is the national leader in par four scoring (4.14) and has won two tournaments this fall. She took medalist honors at the Grand Canyon Fall Invitational and defended her title at the WWU Invitational with a tourney 54-hole record score of 220. That helped the Vikings to team titles in both tournaments.

"It's definitely exciting," said Trygg. "A lot of it has to do with not putting people up on a pedestal and thinking you're not as good as the competition. It's all about believing that you're the best out there and good things will come."

Trygg played in a handful of tournaments her freshman year then really turned it on last spring. She earned her first collegiate victory at the WWU Invitational and placed 16th at the NCAA II National Championships. Last summer, Trygg worked at the Wing Point Golf and Country Club in Bainbridge.

"I think it was good to be around a golf course every day," Trygg said. "I didn't play a lot, but it gave me a lot of time to work on my chipping and putting."

That extra work has paid off as Trygg has shaved six strokes off her scoring average of last season.

"She's got the complete package to be a great golfer," Russell said. "She's got competitive fire inside her, but plays with a calm demeanor on the golf course and controls herself emotionally. That really is the combination of a golfer who is going to go out and not make unforced errors."

Despite her personal success, Trygg still puts her team first.

"I'd like more team victories especially at regionals and nationals," she said. "Team success is always better than individual success."

"She is so important to this team," said Russell. "She's a great person to be around and is so positive, and it really shows on her face and in her golf game. I think a lot of the other players really feed off that."