Spring arrived and Brynn Craven knew exactly where to head. For years, warm weather meant golf season was right around the corner and the Trevecca senior wanted to make sure she would go out with a bang.

Suddenly, everything changed. One by one, sports began to cancel as COVID-19 spread. Craven kept swinging, honing her skills and hoping her phone wouldn’t be the next to ring.

Unfortunately for the senior, it did.

“I’ve been playing competitively for 11 years. I never thought I wouldn’t be able to finish out my career,” said Craven on March 13, just hours after she found out the NCAA and other college organizations were cancelling spring sports.

In the most recent weeks, the sting hasn’t worn off. Craven was set to be a leader on the Trojans, along with fellow seniors Teagan Perry and Lexie Shaw. Only after several conversations with her teammates and coach did Craven begin to find peace with the situation.

“I’ve dealt with this change by leaning on my coach and teammates a lot – just processing the emotion with each other,” said Craven. “Our coach has told us to work towards our next chapter and that’s what we’ve all been doing.”

Thinking about the next match and living in the moment was replaced with reminiscing the past.

“My four years at Trevecca have been the best years of my life. Coach (David) Head turned into such a mentor for me on and off the course,” said Craven. “I have improved so much from my first year. Scores got lower, but also my knowledge of golf got higher and I learned how to play at an elite level.”

Craven counts winning a conference champion as a freshman and playing a match-play tournament in Florida as some of her career highlights. They are memories she will take with her forever, along with the lessons she learned as a college athlete.

“I’ll be taking the structure and time-management skills that are required as a collegiate athlete with me. It really is a grind to work out and practice while being in school. You don’t have your parents holding your hand to make you do well – it’s all up to you and the effort you put in,” said Craven.

Her love for the game made Craven debate sticking around for another year to play again, but ultimately she decided it was best to move on. The decision was made easier when she learned she had been accepted to law school, which she plans to begin in the fall.

The time has come for Craven to leave the course and head to court.