University of Minnesota Athletics
Student-Athlete Profile: Sophomore Erica McKenzie
2/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Perfecting the infamous “Happy Gilmore Swing,” a three-step running swing up to the ball in order to tee off and mirror a slap shot, this unusual golf swing allowed the character of Gilmore to drive the ball to lengths of 400 feet or more.
For sophomore forward Erica McKenzie, unlike Gilmore, she is undoubtedly a great hockey player. During her freshman season, McKenzie helped Minnesota win their second straight WCHA Championship and NCAA national title and she is also a recipient of numerous hockey awards. For a person to be so great in one sport is an amazing accomplishment on its own, but for someone to excel in two sports can be a rarity.
Similar to the character of Gilmore, McKenzie is a natural golfer. A six-time letterwinner during high school, McKenzie won the Minnesota Class AA state title and made six consecutive state tournament appearances and solidified herself as a powerhouse on the greens.
Playing golf since she can remember, even before she started playing hockey, McKenzie got interested in the sport due to her curiosity with frogs. “I loved going along with my brother and my dad (whom are avid golfers) to find frogs in the water at the golf course that was down the road from my house,” McKenzie said. “One day it was too cold for the frogs to come out so my dad asked if I could hit a golf ball. That’s when it all started.” With so many accomplishments in golf and hockey, it was no surprise that coaches from both sports recruited her. “I talked to (women’s golf coach Katie Hanneman) a little bit, but I think deep down I always knew I wanted to play hockey,” McKenzie said. “I have five years of school here so once hockey is done, and if I still want to play golf, I’ll see what I can do.”
Although we may never know what McKenzie could have done in collegiate golf, she has already proven herself as a hockey player. In just her short career, McKenzie, a native of Hastings, Minn., has tallied over 50 points in 62 games played. As a freshman, McKenzie was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week twice and earned 21 points. Now this season, McKenzie leads the team in points with 31 and goals with 17. She not only leads her team in game-winning goals, but is tied for the nation lead as well with six. Already this season, McKenzie has been named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week three times.
In a sport like hockey, where the stresses of life can be “taken out on the ice,” golf provides McKenzie with an escape from hockey. “If there is ever a reason I need to get away from hockey, I’ll go play in the golf dome, but I haven’t had to do that this year,” McKenzie said. “I get a lot of playing done in the summer with friends and family.” Golf, however, intrigues McKenzie because it is such a mental game. “Hockey is a game made of mistakes, but you have time to correct those mistakes,” McKenzie said. “If you get unfocused in golf by hitting a bad shot, it can ruin your entire game, but being so focused on something is the fun part of it.”
One person that McKenzie said she could always call her favorite golfer is Phil Mickelson. Mickelson, a two-time PGA major winner, has been one of the world’s top-ranked golfers for the last decade. “I got the chance to meet Mickelson once during a vacation in Arizona and I also like the fact that he is a lefty like me,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie will make her sports career at Minnesota in hockey, but she is not just a hockey player. She is a scarcity in the sports world to be able to accomplish so much in two difficult and different sports. The skills she has learned in golf will forever carry over to her hockey career, and those skills she learns in hockey will forever carry over to her golfing.
Story written by: Katie Fornasiere, Athletic Communications Student Assistant In the movies and in life, an unusual correlation has been evolving: hockey players can make great golfers. In the movie “Happy Gilmore”, Adam Sandler tapped this correlation by playing a fledgling hockey player (with an amazing slap shot but otherwise horrible hockey skills) who turns to golf in order to make money.
Perfecting the infamous “Happy Gilmore Swing,” a three-step running swing up to the ball in order to tee off and mirror a slap shot, this unusual golf swing allowed the character of Gilmore to drive the ball to lengths of 400 feet or more.
For sophomore forward Erica McKenzie, unlike Gilmore, she is undoubtedly a great hockey player. During her freshman season, McKenzie helped Minnesota win their second straight WCHA Championship and NCAA national title and she is also a recipient of numerous hockey awards. For a person to be so great in one sport is an amazing accomplishment on its own, but for someone to excel in two sports can be a rarity.
Similar to the character of Gilmore, McKenzie is a natural golfer. A six-time letterwinner during high school, McKenzie won the Minnesota Class AA state title and made six consecutive state tournament appearances and solidified herself as a powerhouse on the greens.
Playing golf since she can remember, even before she started playing hockey, McKenzie got interested in the sport due to her curiosity with frogs. “I loved going along with my brother and my dad (whom are avid golfers) to find frogs in the water at the golf course that was down the road from my house,” McKenzie said. “One day it was too cold for the frogs to come out so my dad asked if I could hit a golf ball. That’s when it all started.” With so many accomplishments in golf and hockey, it was no surprise that coaches from both sports recruited her. “I talked to (women’s golf coach Katie Hanneman) a little bit, but I think deep down I always knew I wanted to play hockey,” McKenzie said. “I have five years of school here so once hockey is done, and if I still want to play golf, I’ll see what I can do.”
Although we may never know what McKenzie could have done in collegiate golf, she has already proven herself as a hockey player. In just her short career, McKenzie, a native of Hastings, Minn., has tallied over 50 points in 62 games played. As a freshman, McKenzie was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week twice and earned 21 points. Now this season, McKenzie leads the team in points with 31 and goals with 17. She not only leads her team in game-winning goals, but is tied for the nation lead as well with six. Already this season, McKenzie has been named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week three times.
In a sport like hockey, where the stresses of life can be “taken out on the ice,” golf provides McKenzie with an escape from hockey. “If there is ever a reason I need to get away from hockey, I’ll go play in the golf dome, but I haven’t had to do that this year,” McKenzie said. “I get a lot of playing done in the summer with friends and family.” Golf, however, intrigues McKenzie because it is such a mental game. “Hockey is a game made of mistakes, but you have time to correct those mistakes,” McKenzie said. “If you get unfocused in golf by hitting a bad shot, it can ruin your entire game, but being so focused on something is the fun part of it.”
One person that McKenzie said she could always call her favorite golfer is Phil Mickelson. Mickelson, a two-time PGA major winner, has been one of the world’s top-ranked golfers for the last decade. “I got the chance to meet Mickelson once during a vacation in Arizona and I also like the fact that he is a lefty like me,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie will make her sports career at Minnesota in hockey, but she is not just a hockey player. She is a scarcity in the sports world to be able to accomplish so much in two difficult and different sports. The skills she has learned in golf will forever carry over to her hockey career, and those skills she learns in hockey will forever carry over to her golfing.
Story written by: Katie Fornasiere, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
