By Tim Gayle, Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.

may 1–Amelie Buhl and Aileen Meredith are part of something special, something they never would have envisioned five years ago.

Both are major components in Alabama State’s Southwestern Athletic Conference championship women’s golf team, international players leading the surge at an HBCU (Historically black colleges and universities) program.

“It’s a big change compared to where I’m from,” said Meredith, a sophomore from Apia, Samoa. “At first, I wasn’t expecting it to be an all-black school but after the first semester my freshman year, I adapted well. at first, everything was hard and difficult but now it’s nothing to me. I’m used to it. I’m enjoying myself here.”

Golf coach Gary Grandison has taken a risk signing international students, considering that fact that minorities are fighting for the same positions. The former Alabama State golf captain can simply point at the results, however, observing that he would never hesitate to look across the street if that’s where the best player was located.

“We have the amenities to accommodate a top-caliber athlete,” he said. “The key is we have to make sure these athletes are aware of what we bring to the table. We have some strong (academic) programs that are under the radar.”

So he went to Miami for a tournament involving the top high school players from around the world and found Meredith. he found D’Andrielle and Danielle Robinson, twins from the Bahamas, at a south Florida tournament. he found Buhl, a true freshman of Manchengladbach, Germany, on the Internet.

“This was my first time in the States,” Buhl said. “I was looking at a lot of schools, and I came to Alabama State because I saw Aileen and how she came all the way from Samoa and how she played and her scores. Then I saw the (scores of) the team and their improvement. I talked to coach Grandison and his plans for the future and his goals for the team.”

The great thing about international players is they don’t have any preconceived notions about colleges. The fact that Alabama State historically hasn’t been strong wasn’t a factor. The choice of an HBCU over a small program in the Midwest was never considered. The players listened to Grandison and believed.

“Alabama State has a lot of good facilities to get us to this (postseason) level,” Meredith said. “In past tournaments this year, we’ve played against teams that were in the top 10. Alabama State really is the place to be right now.”

Meredith is a large reason for Alabama State’s first-ever trip to the NCAA regionals because her success lured Buhl to campus. Buhl was the low medalist in the SWAC Championships in Louisiana on April 19, finishing just ahead of Meredith. A week later, Buhl finished second in the National Women’s Collegiate Golf Classic at Stone Mountain, Ga., a tournament pitting the best HBCU programs in the country. Meredith finished third.

Alabama State, as a team, won both events.

“Last year’s team was not challenging and competitive at all,” Meredith said. “The players were good, but they were not fully committed as I was. Whenever I was first at a tournament, our team was last or next to last.

“I think we’re on the right track right now. The last few tournaments, we haven’t played to our best. but in this (NCAA) tournament, I know the girls will play much better, especially for something we’ve all been wanting to get to.”

Alabama State is the 24th seed among the 24 teams competing in the NCAA East Regional at Daytona Beach, Fla., this weekend, relying on a freshman from Germany and four other international players to lead the way.

“College golf is a new experience for me, but I played a lot of golf in Germany and in Europe,” Buhl said. “But we don’t play college teams so it’s a whole different competition. It’s a great opportunity for golf players to study and play golf at a high level.

—–

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<a href="http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/158665757tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/158665757Mon, 02 May 2011 15:03:27 GMT 00:00″>Women in Sports: International duo boost ASU golf

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