LITTLE ROCK – The abrupt end of the 2019-20 golf season caught everyone by surprise, bringing
Thea Wakeford-Wesmann's collegiate golf career to an unexpected and premature end. The Oslo, Norway native watched with the rest of her Trojan teammates as the remainder of their season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, signaling the end of her collegiate playing days.
It was an unfortunate turn as Wakeford-Wesmann's senior season was shaping up to be her best in a Trojan uniform by all accounts. Her scoring average through the first seven events was a 78.38 – nearly two strokes better than her junior season and four shots less than what she averaged as a freshman.
She had set new 18, 36 and 54-hole tournament lows in the fall, including shooting a career-low 73 on two separate occasions. And she was doing it all as the lone senior on a five-player squad that was comprised of four sophomores.
In the classroom, Wakeford-Wesmann continued to excel as well, finishing her Trojan career with a perfect 4.00 grade point average in both the fall and spring semesters. A member of the Chancellor's List numerous times, she graduated with a degree in economics with a 3.975 GPA and is beginning the graduate program at Cisco in Amsterdam.
Wakeford-Wessman closed out her collegiate career playing in 82 rounds with a 79.94 scoring average, serving as a four-year constant in the Trojan lineup. She was also part of establishing an incredible run for Little Rock golf in the classroom as the squad continually ranks among the top teams in the nation from a GPA perspective, including a department-record 3.95 team GPA in the spring.
LRTrojans.com caught up with Thea to get her thoughts on what it meant to play for Little Rock as well as what memories she will take as a member of
#LittleRocksTeam.
What does being a Little Rock Trojan mean to you?
"Being a Little Rock Trojan means to me to be a part of something bigger. Everywhere I go, I represent the school and my fellow student-athletes. Even though I have graduated, I still feel like a represent the school by having it on my resume or wearing its logo on my clothes. Once a Trojan, always a Trojan."
What is the greatest victory/achievement you feel you accomplished during your
time at Little Rock?
"As for my golf, I am very satisfied with my senior year and how I was able to finish strong. My golf has been like a rollercoaster my whole college career, but it feels good to finish with my best year. As for the academics, I am also satisfied with how my hard work in the classroom paid off which left me with a GPA of 3.97 and a job lined up after graduation."
What was the biggest challenge/obstacle you had to overcome?
"I would say that the biggest challenge I had to overcome was my mental game. I came into college with a great amount of knowledge and skills, but I had a hard time proving this through my performance. Fortunately, this got better over the years, and I was able to perform better and improve my results."
What is a memory about Little Rock that stands out to you?
"Little Rock for me is all the amazing people I met along the way. One of my favorite memories about Little Rock was when me and my friends hiked Pinnacle Mountain at sunrise. In addition to the people and great golf courses, Little Rock offers beautiful nature that I loved to explore."
What words of advice would you give to a younger Thea who was about to begin
her collegiate career?
"I wish younger Thea would had known to cherish every moment. Even though my time ended earlier than expected, the time goes past so fast – so enjoy it while it lasts!"
What are your plans moving forward?
"I am going to join Cisco's graduate program in July in Amsterdam, which I am looking forward to. Hopefully, I will come back to Little Rock in December to see my friends again and have a proper graduation."
#LittleRocksTeam
