The RoundHouse | 4/13/2019 5:09:00 PM

 
Gavrilla Arya is the planner. Her journal includes goals for six months, one year and five years.
 
"My daily routine sets me in balance," Arya said. "I just feel calmer if I know that I have a routine in place, where you're going to go next."
 
Laine Evans is the gambler. She loves to talk and loves to play aggressive golf.
 
"Laine is just an outspoken cheerleader for everybody," Wichita State golf coach Tom McCurdy said. "She is the ultimate believer in the girls on the team being able to do way beyond what they're capable of."
 
Arya and Evans form a strikingly different senior leadership team for the Shockers. Wichita State plays in the American Athletic Conference Championship beginning Sunday at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast Florida. 
 
"They are so, so different in how they approach golf and how they approach life," McCurdy said. "I don't recall a time when I've had two seniors who are so contrasting in their styles and their methods and their communication with the team, but have really filled their roles so well."
 
Evans and Arya didn't need to plan their complementary styles. It happened naturally and they said the work ethic and good attitude throughout the team helps.
 
"I've always been a very talkative person," Evans said. "Gavi, she leads by example. How she does school work. How she plays on the course. How she practices. She doesn't have to say anything."
 
Evans, who finished in a tie for ninth at last season's conference tournament, was named American player of the week after helping the Shockers claim third place at the Kansas City Intercollegiate last weekend, their highest finish this season. Evans, from Wichita, carded a 221 to finish in a tie for fourth.
 
Arya, from Jakarta, Indonesia, finished in a tie for 11^thwith a 226, her fourth top-20 spot this season. 
 
Evans and Arya put their combined leadership to work after the first day at Creekmoor Golf Course in Raymore, Mo. The Shockers shot a 297 in the morning round before slipping to a 307 in the afternoon. 
 
McCurdy asked the seniors to speak. 
 
Evans reminded her teammate to lean on their training and practice instead of fixating on the outcome.
 
"That was the mental aspect we took into the next day," Arya said. "The second round of the first day was a bit iffy. We were rushing. We started the second day with a better mindset, better positive outlook."
 
Evans did her part by talking and encouraging. Arya's example in her daily routines at practice helped inform her words. As Evans spoke, she realized their time with the team ends soon and she hopes their lessons will help her teammates in future seasons.
 
"Most of it, I learned from Gavi," Evans said. "She's always been very certain about how she goes about her game and repeating her steps every single time and not rushing to hit her shot. That's something I wanted to say to everyone and that's something I learned from Gavi."
 
Evans uses her voice to encourage and distract. She will talk about almost anything, often with the goal of making the moment fun, recharging or wiping away a shanked ball or a frustrating putter.
 
"It can literally be something in the sky, like a plane or a bird," she said. "I think it helps, if we're qualifying or practicing, taking our minds off golf. Sometimes it's nice to take a break and you might forget about the bad shot."
 
That helps Arya.
 
"I'm usually fixated on golf, and then your head and mind gets mentally tired," she said. "Then there's Laine talking about a bunch of random stuff to get your mind off golf."
 
Arya's plans for after college are in motion. She is taking steps toward operating a business in Indonesia, although she is reluctant to reveal too much. 
 
"A year ago, my goal was to take the MCAT and then go to medical school after college," she said. "Then I realized I had a passion in business. My goal now is to create a business back home."
 
Arya and her business partner have, she said, talked to manufacturers, labeling and packaging companies and discussed price points. Her to-do list this summer is full with those details.
 
"We're setting the plans in place for the importation of the products," she said. 
 
There are eight American schools in the top 100 of Golfstat.com's national rankings, led by No. 34 Houston, with Wichita State at No. 146. Last spring, the Shockers finished fifth in the American with Taryn Torgerson winning medalist honors.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.