Wildcat Tracks: Taylor French ’17
Taylor French is just like any other college sophomore. “I love to hang out with friends around campus grabbing a coffee, watching movies, shopping. Anything that gets me involved with my floor and my friends!” she says.
What sets the Taylor University marketing major apart from her classmates are the many accolades she’s received for her favorite sport: golf. French was named an All-American Scholar Athlete by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA). She also earned a spot on the NAIA National Championship All-Tournament team following her tie for 13th place at the 2018 NAIA National Championship. French is quick to point out her pride in being part of a winning team. “The Taylor women’s golf team made it to the NAIA Tournament and placed 5th overall. The whole experience was amazing, I was so excited! It was definitely my proudest accomplishment so far!”
Golf was a family sport growing up, “I’ve played ever since I can remember with my parents as a fun pastime. I really got serious about it around 8th grade. I put in a lot of time and practice to get where I am today.” While at Westminster, French was a tri-sport athlete, participating in basketball, soccer, and golf. Being on three high school sports teams gave her different perspectives since not every team had a winning season. “My junior year, the basketball team wasn’t the greatest, so I actually learned how to fail and do so graciously. But my soccer team was really good, so in that case, I got to see how hard you have to work to be a winner.”
And how about that WGCA Scholar Athlete Award? “I had no idea I was going to be named. It was very cool and exciting! I think the biggest piece for me was figuring out how to balance school work, practice, and relationships,” French said. “It was difficult at first to figure out when to say no or yes to campus activities. So I just stayed focused on school, studying, and my golf game. The rest just kind of fell into place!”
This alumni spotlight was originally featured in the September 2018 issue of our alumni newsletter, Wildcat Tracks.
