Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week: Prairie Ridge’s Jenna Albanese

Name: Jenna Albanese

School: Prairie Ridge, junior

Sport: Girls golf

Why she was selected: Albanese captured the Fox Valley Conference Tournament individual title with a 5-over-par 77 at Crystal Woods in Woodstock on Sept. 20, edging McHenry senior Maddy Donovan by a stroke for the top spot. She made four birdies in her winning round.

Last week, Albanese tied for ninth with an 89 at the Class 2A Harlem Regional at Atwood Homewood in Rockford to earn her third straight trip to sectionals.

For her performance, Albanese was selected as the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with sports writer Alex Kantecki.

What do you like about golf the most?

Albanese: One thing I like most about golf is the great friendships I have been able to make with the girls on my team as well as girls from other schools.

Do you have a most memorable shot or round?

Albanese: The most memorable shot that I have had was this year at a course in Rockford. It was on a par 3 and my tee shot was only about a foot from going in the hole.

If you could have dinner with any three people in history, who would they be?

Albanese: If I could have dinner with any three people it would probably be Taylor Swift, Zach Bryan and Nelly Korda.

Which teammate makes you laugh the most?

Albanese: One of my teammates that makes me laugh the most is Grace Mertel. We golf together most of the time throughout the season and it is always a good time!

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Albanese: My biggest pet peeve is when people chew with their mouth open.

What’s the best piece of coaching advice you’ve ever received?

Albanese: One of the best pieces of coaching advice that I have ever received was to never leave your putts short. Multiple of my coaches have told me this and it really does make sense.

You just won a million dollars. What is the first thing you would buy?

Albanese: The first thing I would buy if I won a million dollars would be a vacation. I would want to vacation to Maui with all of my friends and family.

Who is your favorite professional athlete?

Albanese: My favorite professional athlete is Nelly Korda because I admire how great of a player she is and her achievements while playing golf.

Do you have any nicknames?

Albanese: The most common nickname that mostly my family and some friends call me in Jen.

What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

Albanese: The scariest thing that I have ever done was jump into a cenote from 50 feet high.