Senior Maddie Szeryk is finishing up her time on the Allen golf team while her future playing for Texas A&M awaits her. After placing third individually in the 2013 state championship, Szeryk said she will take away all the things she has learned during golf over the years.

“I do golf because I love it, and I’ve been playing for 10 years, and it’s just a lot of fun,” Szeryk said.

Szeryk said she loves the competitive challenge that comes from golfing.

“You have to be patient, but you also have to be competitive, and you also have to practice for hours and hours every day,” Szeryk said. “I love the competitiveness and just being able to go out and play.”

Szeryk said representing the school is a good way for student-athletes to show how much all of the sports are capable of. In 2012 Szeryk was part of the Lady Eagles gold team that became the Texas 5A Girls State Champions.

“It means a lot,” Szeryk said. “It’s cool that we can go out there and show Allen that it’s not just football and that other sports are good too, so it’s fun.”

Compared to golf at other schools, Szeryk said she feels the team pulls together to be better and make each other more motivated.

“We mostly get along, and we’re all really competitive, and we all want to win, so I think that drives us to get better,” Szeryk said. “We push each other to get better.”

Although she is leaving Allen golf next year, Szeryk said she won’t forget the memories she has made over the years with the girls on her team.

“I think I’ll take away all the memories we’ve bonded over because we travel, and we’re together for two or three days, and just the team atmosphere is so much fun,” Szeryk said.

Szeryk said she is preparing herself for the different atmosphere of college golf compared to high school golf.

“I’m going to play golf at A&M, so I’ll still have [that] team atmosphere, but it’ll be completely different,” Szeryk said. “Like high school it’s intense, but it’s a little more relaxed. Some teams don’t care, but (my teammates and I) definitely do, and so it makes it more interesting.”

Szeryk said she will take away all the things she has learned after being part of the golf team in Allen.

“I think I’ve matured,” Szeryk said. “It [has] taught me how to be a good teammate. I’m going on to A&M next year, so (the experience) is going to show me, ‘Hey, this is what it takes to be a good teammate.’”