Semoball Awards: Jackson’s Alana Gilbert takes home Girls Golf award

After a dominating junior campaign, Jackson’s Alana Gilbert was rewarded for her success.

Gilbert won the Girls Golf Athlete of the Year award at the 2023 Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH on Friday, July 14, at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau.

Following the presentation of the award, Gilbert was shocked.

“I honestly can’t even believe it,” Gilbert said. “I feel like I’ve put so much work into this sport and I think it’s finally starting to pay off.”

Jackson finished sixth out of nine teams at the MSHSAA Class 4 Girls Golf Championships in 2023.

The Indians were led by Gilbert who finished with a two-day total of 24-over 168 to tie for 18th place.

While the skills one possesses on the golf course is important, so is the mental aspect of golf.

“I think the mental game is the most important part of golf,” Gilbert said. “I wish there were ways to teach that side of the game more.”

While Gilbert said there aren’t specific things she does to work on the mental game, how she approaches her day-to-day activities has a big impact on her game.

“I noticed on nights I don’t get much sleep I get more frustrated,” Gilbert said. “The more frustrated I get, the worse I play. I just try to get the best nights sleep I can.”

Looking ahead, not only does winning the award give Gilbert confidence heading into her senior season, she also has already committed to playing golf at Indiana State University.

“I’m feeling very confident,” Gilbert said. “I honestly feel like I can relax more (when playing) and not have as much pressure throughout the season.”

Gilbert said she is looking forward to just being able to worry about herself during her senior year.

“It’ll be nice to go out there and just focus on my game,” Gilbert said. “I won’t look at what another girl is doing or worry she will shoot better than me. That’s another part of the mental game you have to work on and it’ll be nice to not have to worry about that.”

Despite having her senior year left, Gilbert is already looking forward to beginning her career at Indiana State.

“I’m excited to take the sport to the next level,” Gilbert said. “It’ll be really fun to meet new girls and it will be a lot different than high school because of the travel which will be really cool.”

Gilbert and the Indians begin the 2023 season on August 29 at the Vizatational Tournament.