Sainz's goal: to win first college tournament

Larkin graduate Carlos Sainz made the most out of his summer this year.

Sainz, a former high school golfing standout who is now a junior on the Division I Mississippi State men's golf team, enjoyed success in a number of area summer tournaments.

"I played about six or seven tournaments and most of them were local. A couple of them were nationals and a lot of them were state stuff -- collegiate amateur tournaments," said Sainz earlier this week from Starksville, Miss.

Sainz won the North Shore Amateur in Highland Park and was the runner-up at the Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) state match play event at Lake Shore Country Club in Glencoe.

"I had the opportunity to play against some of the better players and I had some success against the better players," said Sainz. "I got a better feel about playing in those types of situations."

Sainz said beyond just on-paper success, the tournaments allowed him to make critical advancements in his game.

"The summer, that's where you get better," said Sainz. "During the school year, you are going to tournaments all the time and going to class. You don't have a lot of extra time. I knew this summer I wanted to make the most of my time. That's when you need to get better. That's when you can do the most damage."

Sainz has also noticed an improvement in his mental approach on the course.

"Over the summer I managed the game better. I played the courses a little smarter," said Sainz. "I played the course the right way. Managing the game at this level is really important. A lot of players at this level have good games, but they don't know how to manage the game. It's huge. A couple of shots per round makes a difference in a tournament. If a tournament is 3 or 4 days long, that's 5-10 shots."

Working on his short game was also high on the agenda for Sainz, whose younger brother, Michael, is in his senior season on the Tim Jones-coached Larkin Royals this season.

"The short game is what separates the great players from the good players," said Sainz, who averaged 74.14 for 18 holes during the 2006 fall semester at Mississippi State. "My chipping has really improved a lot and my putting has improved. I have control with my wedges. I'm trying to focus on all aspects of my short game."

Mississippi State coach Clay Homan said Sainz continues to rise up the collegiate golf ladder on a number of fronts.

"The main thing is his confidence," said Homan. "When he got here, he had the good game, but he didn't have any confidence. He belongs at this level. He's slowly improved on his confidence. He played well in the SEC tournament and played with some big-name college players. And that gave him confidence. Carlos feeds off that confidence. He hits the ball has far as any college players. He's got a good tempo and rhythm with his shots. He certainly belongs here."

Sainz caught on with Mississippi State after Homan saw him play at a tournament that Sainz was at with the International Junior Golf Academy (Hilton Head, S.C.) Sainz spent a year at the academy after he graduated from Larkin. The academy preps junior golfers for collegiate and professional golf.

"The year I went to the golf academy helped me mature," said Sainz, who led the team in 18-hole average as a freshman (73.76). "I was on my own away from my parents and friends. I was out there by myself and independent. I had never had instruction like that before. They helped me out with fitness and a lot of different things. I played in a lot of tournaments at the junior national level. They helped guide me through and get better at golf. That was pretty big for me."

Sainz, who placed fifth in the Class AA high school state tournament in 2003, would like to see his college career advance even further this season.

"I definitely want to win a college tournament," said Sainz, who tied for 16th at the 2007 SEC tournament with a 54-hole total of 221, which included a 70 on the final day of competition. "A couple if I can. I think my game is ready to break through. And I'd like to help our team advance further and make it to the NCAA tournament as a team. I would like to improve as a person and student too. Hopefully I can have a good season."

"This year will be a big jump for him," said Homan. "I definitely think he's good enough to win. But he has to put it all together. There were a lot of tournaments last year where he hit plenty of fairways and greens and shot even or 1-under with his short game and that could have been 6 or 7 under. He came in here as a freshman and it's hard to win in this conference as a freshman. This year he is definitely ready to win. It's just a matter of time."

Ebbesen at Illinois State: Bartlett alum Kim Ebbesen is part of an Illinois State University women's cross country team that was picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason coaches poll. The team was picked to finish fifth, according to last year's preseason poll. ISU ended up finishing seventh in 2006.

Ebbesen is one of six returning ISU runners from last year's top 7. Team captain Suzy Turner, Kathleen Thompson and Ebbesen are expected to lead the Redbirds.

Aldridge at Northwestern: Hampshire graduate Brittney Aldridge is a senior middle blocker on the Northwestern University women's volleyball team. Aldridge had a big hand in the Wildcats winning the season-opening Chicagoland Challege recently in Evanston. In a 3-0 victory over Loyola-Chicago, Aldridge had 6 kills and hit .417. She made just 1 hitting error in 12 attempts. She then had 9 kills and hit .667 in a 3-0 triumph over Illinois-Chicago. Aldridge again committed only 1 miscue on 12 swings. Northwestern head to California this weekend to compete in a tournament hosted by Loyola Marymount.

Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at difibulator@aol.com. Fall college sports submissions are encouraged.