:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/WPC26EXXH5CXDEXI2K22DK77EQ.jpg)
Creston’s Rylie Driskell made it official Friday afternoon, signing her Letter of Intent to golf for University of Northern Iowa next season.
The Panthers’ No. 1 entering the 2021 season had a wide range of offers to choose from, garnering interest from most small schools in Iowa along with some interest from Drake University.
The decision to continue her golfing career at UNI came after a phone call with head coach John Burmel, who mentioned the competition within the team gives her a chance to compete and get better.
“There were a lot of different thing I had thought about with UNI,” said Driskell. “When I got to talk to (John Burmel) on the phone, he asked me what I was looking for in a team and I had said [the chance to win]. He said ‘This year you’re going to be competing for your spot every week. There’s always going to be someone trying to knock you off (the starting lineup). You’re going to be trying to knock off seniors, ... it made me think of my freshman year where I had so much competition every week and in the end made me a really good golfer. I think that’s what made me make that decision.”
Driskell, the reigning Hawkeye 10 individual champion and a state-qualifier during her sophomore campaign, had a chance to return last spring and retain that status in her junior season. But, due to COVID-19, the season was cancelled before it began.
Without her junior season, Driskell knew the importance last year had in a search to play at the next level. But with the help of her personal coach, she was able to get ahead talk to coaches directly.
“The junior season is really important. The colleges come watch and they can actually come talk to you as a junior, but when you miss out on that it’s hard because you have to wait until April or May to make a college decision, and by then it’s almost too late,” said Driskell. “I give all my credit to John Dinnebier, my personal coach up at Ankeny Briarwood Golf Club. I reached out to him, ... he helped me put together a letter talking about myself and showing some stuff with my swing.”
The letter sent received a response from only a handful of schools, UNI included. Driskell’s family mentioned the relationship and trust Dinnebier had with the UNI coach made it an easier decision moving forward.
Dinnebier was with Driskell Friday to celebrate the big day, talking to Driskell about the future with the Panthers. At one point he mentioned joining the amateur tour, which Driskell laughed at, knowing it could be a possibility.
The relationship between Dinnebier and Driskell spans a decade, well before the Creston No. 1 was on the radar of a high school team.
“It was really important for me to have John come. He’s worked with me since I was eight years old and without him I probably wouldn’t be playing in college at all,” said Driskell. “I give all my credit with him and it was really great to have him down here.”
With the decision process now over, the attention turns to the course for the spring as Creston will aim to retain its crown as the Hawkeye 10 champions with Driskell leading the way.
“It will for sure be a little more relaxed because there’s not that urgency to get it done, but I’m still a perfectionist,” said Driskell. “I’m still as strict with my game as I’ve always been and I want to go out and have a good senior year and have a good season.”