It's been somewhat of a difficult year for the Southern Illinois University (SIU) women's gold team on the injury front. First, senior Xianmei Jin suffered a dislocated shoulder that's kept her on the sideline for most of the fall golf season.
Then, this spring, Sophomore Sun Jung has been trying to fight through multiple injuries, as she's currently dealing with plantar fasciitis in addition to struggling though knee tendinitis.
Now, it's senior Kristie Yang who's been bitten by the injury bug. She injured her back and was forced to withdraw during the final round of the Bradley Spring Break Invitational. In addition, she's also now slated to miss the upcoming Lamar Challenge.
But as oftentimes happens in athletics, an injury to one player opens up an opportunity for another player, and this time, it's Peoria, Illinois' Erica Kerr that hopes to take advantage of this chance to crack the lineup. The freshman will be making her college debut at the Lamar Challenge as a part of SIU's five-person travel team.
In high school, Kerr was a four-time Illinois High School state qualifier and was named 2015 Peoria Journal Star Co-Golfer of the Year while also finishing 11th in the state tournament during her junior year. Since coming to SIU, she twice scored in the 70s in the MVC fall preview, and she's expected to step right in on the travel team and play well.
Erica Kerr is definitely an up and comer to keep an eye on both this season and beyond for Salukis golf.
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