Eustice follows dad’s footsteps

Coach Eustice won’t be walking the sidelines at St. Bede this fall, the football season postponed until next spring.

There will be a Coach Eustice, however, on the links for Putnam County.

Sydney Eustice, the coach’s daughter, has taken over the boys golf coach for PC. She comes right out of Clarke University, where she golfed for five years, including a redshirt freshmen year. She graduated in May with a teaching degree.

Eustice is teaching sixth grade homeroom and junior high social studies at Holy Family School in Oglesby.

“I am so excited to be coaching,” Eustice said. “I didn’t plan to come right back to the area after graduating, but with everything going on in the world right now I figured home was not bad place to be. Golf has been a huge part of my life and I am thrilled that I’ll be able to put my passion to use.”

Eustice, 23, brings a solid playing background in golf, having qualified for state her junior year and sectional her senior year at St. Bede, in addition to playing collegiately at Clarke College. Eustice said she and her golfers have a lot in common.

“My players and I all have something in common: we are young and don’t have much experience in our new roles. But we are willing to learn and improve as much as possible this season,” she said.

“We graduated some excellent players last year, so it is now a matter of figuring out who will step up and be a leader.”

Jim Eustice is proud to see his daughter join him in the coaching ranks.

“I’m happy for her and she’s very excited about this new chapter. It’s great experience for her and we are proud of her,” he said.

So who comes out on top when father and daughter play a round of golf?

“It’s pretty even out on the course,” Jim said.

“My dad always says he’s going to beat me, but we have yet to see that happen,” Sydney joked. “My dad and I are competitive people in general (it has to be genetic), so when we do play it’s always fun.”

Whoever wins, Sydney said they always support one another.

“Between football and golf, our family always has a game or meet to attend. We love to show our support for each other,” she said. “With football pushed to spring, my dad will be attending quite a few golf meets, because he is bored.”

Kevin Hieronymus is the BCR Sports Editor. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com