Senior Liz Ecker never thought her name would dot the pages of the Oakland University women’s golf record book, but now she will graduate as one of the greatest women’s golfers in OU history.

“I hold the leading average score in women’s golf history,” Ecker said. “I definitely feel like I have contributed a lot to the program.”

On Oct. 9 Ecker won the Detroit Titans Fall Classic; her second individual win of her collegiate career, she beat her personal best for a 36-hole course, dropping from 146 to 140 from last year.

“Absolutely nothing was going through my head,” Ecker said. “That was the best part about it. I just went out there and played golf and it wasn’t even a thought. I knew going in that I had a chance to win… but I was surprised I was leading after the first round.”

Ecker placed fourth in conference as a freshman and third as a sophomore.

Ecker is originally from Delray Beach, where she played for her local high school in

Florida before moving to Michigan with her family. Her dad was a main influence in her golf career.

“I started golfing in about eighth grade,” Ecker said. “My dad plays golf; I had always played but didn’t start competitive golf until the freshman year of high school.”

Ecker, a marketing major, was drawn to Oakland by its reputation.

“I chose Oakland for the facilities, and because it had a really good academic reputation,” Ecker said. “I talked to others about the school and they said, ‘You’re going to get a good education if you go to Oakland.’”

The developing golf program also attracted Ecker’s attention.

“Part of the reason why I came here was because I knew I could see the [golf] program growing and getting better,” Ecker said. “I wanted to be a contributor to pushing the program. It’s nice to see that happening and to see us [the golf program] getting better every year.”

The women’s team is showing more strength than it has in past years; they took second overall in the Detroit Titans Invitational and first in the Cleveland State Invitational this season.

“We have a pretty strong freshman class that came in,” Ecker said.  “This is the first time since I’ve been on the team that we have been competing for the top five spots — we don’t have a guaranteed five traveling every week. We are a lot more competitive within the team, and that is making us stronger as a program.”

The team’s improvement can also be accredited to the addition of new coach, Russ Cunningham.

“He has helped us so much,” Ecker said of Cunnningham. “We have seen the team grow just in the past month and a half. Our short game and our course management have gotten a lot stronger as a whole for the team. That definitely played a part for me in winning this tournament.”

Cuningham also speaks highly of Ecker.

“Liz possesses natural leadership qualities, which is great for me because it’s like having an assistant coach with the team at all times,” Cunningham said. “Liz has proven to be a champion while at OU and I expect that to be the case no matter what her future brings.”

Ecker has high hopes for the team she has lead for two consecutive years.

“I want to see us win a conference championship,” Ecker said. “Oral Roberts has definitely had a 15 year regime on the women’s side. This is one of the first years I think we really can go out and give them a run for their money.”

Ecker hopes to end her college career with both titles.

“(Before I leave Oakland) I want a conference championship for the team and individually — I want to take both home,” Ecker said. “We have never won — This is our year.”

After graduation, Ecker plans on continuing her education and eventually taking over the family business.

“I’m planning to go to grad school for supply chain management or international business right after I graduate,” Ecker said. “I want to eventually take over my father’s company, a brokerage agency that buys and sells industrial food products.”

However, professional golf is not included in Ecker’s future plans.

“I’ll continue to play amateur golf for a long time, but I have no desire to turn pro,” she said.

That aside, Ecker is still thrilled with the development she has witnessed in the program and she hopes to see it continue in the future.

“I have seen the program grow a lot since my freshman year. We keep getting better players,” Ecker said “I don’t think I’ll be the best for very long (after I graduate).’’