Aine Dillon| Hometown: Yarmouth, Mass. | Applied Legal Studies

Two weeks before moving into my dorm room, I got an email from Jay Parker saying there was going to be a women's golf team at Suffolk in the coming fall. I had played golf all throughout high school and had wanted to play in college, but had chosen Suffolk for the programs it offered under the impression I would not be playing golf. Excited and somewhat confused, I moved into 150 Tremont Street with my golf clubs, and I started practice two weeks later. I was the only woman for the first practice, and for the next couple weeks. We managed to round up a couple more golfers for a couple tournaments, but golf had really just begun. The following years have really manifested the hard work of everyone in the program, and our early success really shows. As I am graduating in three years and entering law school in the fall, golf has made my short time at Suffolk some of the best years I have had. 

The team I have been blessed to be on was the best support I could have asked for. The women on my team pushed me to be better, understood when to also leave me alone, and provided many laughs throughout the many courses and restaurants in Massachusetts and New York. We all saw each other at our best with low scores and championship wins and at our lowest lows with our higher scores, and many hours of playing golf in rainy, cold weather. My team is some of the closest friends I have made at Suffolk. The girls are my friends for life, and we plan to continue to play together for many years to come. 

The best part of my athletic journey at Suffolk was my coach; Jay Parker. Coach knew when to coach us, when to leave us alone, and possibly the most helpful, he knew when to say “Just put a good swing on it”. Car rides and the long trips to upstate New York were made bearable by his love of Nicki Minaj, and his mountain dew stops. After playing many other teams, I was only more grateful for our Coach who we could joke around with and still learn from, as it seems to be a rarity in the realm of the women's golf world. He is a blessing to my life, as well as Suffolk athletics as a whole. 

Division III women's golf is growing, and it makes me sad to be leaving (with two more years of eligibility as my coach often reminds me). I will miss the practices, the lifts, the car rides, and the people I have had the pleasure to encounter. However, I am excited to keep up with the team in the coming years as the success we have already encountered has been so exciting in itself. I have been with the team from the very beginning, and have been so fortunate to be a part of the success that we have had so early, and surely will continue to be a part of the team for many years to come. 

The athletic department has decided to name an award in my name to an outstanding woman golfer, awarded in the spring semester for the rest of the program. Having an award named after me is something I never thought would happen however it is wonderful to know that the program I love so much will continue to remember me, as I will remember it. The award is to commemorate an outstanding women golfer, named after the first woman golfer at Suffolk: Áine Dillon. 

My time as an athlete at Suffolk University has been some of the best years of life. I have many memories to look back on, championship plaques to bring with me, and lessons I will carry with me everywhere. Golf has taught me when to stay poised, when to say something, and possibly most importantly, that the hard work you put in when you put your head down will always show. These attributes have carried over throughout my life in schooling and my professional life. I am forever grateful for these lessons that I have learned through the many hours left on the golf course, the driving range, and possibly the most important, the many hours spent at the putting green. I will continue to play golf with Suffolk University in mind for many many years, and I hope they will play with me in their minds as well.