Sports Odds and Ends
Jaycee Rhodes’ summer thus far consists of working and playing golf. The latter also involves competing in summer golf tournaments as she prepares for her final collegiate season at St. Catherine’s.
As promised, we’ve followed the school’s and the MIAC’s only Black golfer since Rhodes, a St. Paul native, arrived at college during the Covid year in 2020. Now armed with her bachelor’s degree in business administration and sales with minor studies in leadership, the golfer now is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.
“I’m still in school and I have golf,” Rhodes said proudly.
The first Black student athlete to win State in gold in Minnesota, Rhodes’ academic and athletic resume at St. Kate’s include three times an NCAA women’s golf participant, repeatedly all academic All-American, and four times on the Dean’s List.
Rhodes also is especially proud of St. Kate’s title run, finishing fifth in this year’s NCAA. “It went really well on how our team finished up,” she pointed out.
When we first were introduced by her father in the summer of 2020, Rhodes said she had hoped to have a good college experience. Along with golf, she was nominated to participate in the NCAA Student Immersion Program, attended the NCAA Career in Sports Forum and the Emerging Leaders Seminar. She also was active in several on campus committees.
Back to golf, “I’ve never been on a team that was so heavily motivated to make each other better,” she said, reaffirming her choice to attend St. Kate’s.
At the start of the May 8 Women Of Color Leadership Series speech, St. Catherine’s President ReBecca Koenig Roloff introduced Rhodes—who was scheduled to formally introduce the featured speaker, South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley—by sharing Rhodes’ many accomplishments before a packed house. “I felt so blessed to be able to hear those things [said out loud],” recalled Rhodes.
Her summer job involves teaching youngsters at the Solomon Hughes Golf Academy for local underrepresented youth, working with high school-age golf beginners. The students often ask her about everything from golf to college to everything in between, and Rhodes said she’s more than happy to oblige.
“I’ve learned to absolutely love all the questions.”