Sticking With What’s Worked – Mississippi State

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There’s a saying. Dance with the one that brought you.

As Mississippi State women’s golf gets set to compete for a national title beginning Friday at the NCAA Championships, the Bulldogs are adhering to the old adage and staying with the winning formula that’s delivered them such a grand opportunity in the first place.

“What we’ve been doing all year has been working, so we’re going to stick with the things that have been working for us from a practice standpoint, from a planning standpoint and from a mindset standpoint,” head coach Charlie Ewing said.

If it’s not broke, there’s no need to fix it, and there’s no denying everything has been in working order for the Bulldogs as they’ve paved their path to Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The season’s results speak for themselves. The Dawgs have won four team championships this year, most recently capturing the school’s first-ever NCAA Regional crown.

The collective success has been fueled by all the individual standouts on the State roster.

What more can even be said about Julia Lopez Ramirez at this point as she continues to put together one of the best careers in MSU history? She’s this season’s Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. She’s won three individual championships, including the SEC championship. She’s also recorded top-five finishes in nine different tournaments.

As good as Lopez Ramirez is, this group is so much more than one remarkably talented player. There’s senior Hannah Levi, who goes into the NCAA Championships playing perhaps the best golf of her career. She’s had three consecutive top-five finishes. Aside from Levi’s play on the links, she’s also provided leadership and a steady, veteran presence alongside fellow senior Abbey Daniel. Daniel has appeared in every event for MSU this season.

Then there are the young, shining stars – Izzy Pellot and Surapa Janthamunee. The duo became just the fifth and sixth MSU women’s golfers to ever be selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team earlier this month.

It’s already been a special year by any measure. Yet don’t for a second think anyone in Maroon and White is satisfied.

“Our ultimate goal is to be the No. 1 team in the country by the end of [the NCAA Championships],” Ewing said. “We want to be the best version of this golf team we could possibly be. We know…