Plata and Rossi Help Change the Culture at MSU

U.S. Women’s Amateur Semifinalists shows a trend

By Tom Lang

Valery Plata and Valentina Rossi are two clear examples of how the culture is changing at Michigan State University. 

Not the culture of ‘family’ – that one has always been a bedrock trait with the Spartans’ women’s program under the long-time leadership of Stacy Slobodnik Stoll – but literally the culture as in more foreign players have been joining the program.

Rossi, of Argentina, pulled off an incredible feat by reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur a few weeks ago, making her the second consecutive Spartan to reach that national plateau. The summer prior in 2020, Plata, of Colombia, was the first MSU woman ever to do so. Not many colleges in America can say they’ve had a golfer reach the final four of the nation’s top woman’s amateur tournament in back-to-back years. 

The Spartan teammates shared a lot of time together at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. after a Covid-shortened college golf season. Plata provided a lot of wisdom for Rossi about the national amateur, which she transferred into stellar play on the course with incredible putting and an infectious smile radiating across the TV screen all week, even after a few misses.

"Valery being in the semifinals last year gave me a feeling that I could do it, too," Rossi said during tournament week. "It was great to practice with her the first day we were out here. We talked a lot while we were here, and it helped me.”

Rossi said the call she got from her MSU teammates and coaches, especially after her quarterfinal win, was one of her most special moments of the tournament.
 
"They all called me, together, from Lasch (Golf Center)," Rossi said. "It was so great, and it made me feel so good. I just said, 'thank you for being here for me!'"

Rossi finished the two-round stroke play portion of the event tied for 12th place. Plata tied for 29th, also advancing to match play. But it was Rossi’s turn to reach the final four.

“The U.S. Amateur was very important way to end my summer, for the fall and spring golf,” Rossi said. “More than 1,000 girls tried for the U.S. Amateur. So, this tournament is really hard. To be exempt for the next two years is really important, and Valery is exempt for next year too.”

Slobodnik-Stoll plans to make Rossi’s comment about feeling she ‘could do it, too’ a main theme within the entire program this fall. As far as the coaching staff is concerned, it’s become an expectation.

“Even though Valentina said (at the tournament), ‘this is not what I expected,’ that’s one thing we’ll be talking about as a team this year; we need to expect this,” Slobodnik-Stoll told me. “If we want to win a national championship, we have to have those expectations.

“As much as we’ve watched (this team) play and we know what they’re capable of, at any one time, all these kids are capable of doing what the two of them have done. I think now it’s just more ammunition for the other players to say, ‘oh my gosh, Valery did this,’ that’s one thing. Then ‘oh my gosh, Valentina did it.’ Okay, it’s my turn.’”

For most of her two-plus decades as coach, Slobodnik-Stoll has recruited the best players in Michigan and the Midwest. But it was when she got a letter about five years ago from Spaniard Paz Marfa Sans that she wanted to give more international players a closer look. 

“We just fell in love with her,” Slobodnik-Stoll said about a trip to Florida to watch Sans with former Spartan player and then assistant coach Amiee Neff. “As soon as we talked to her, it was like this kid is a Spartan even though she’s from Barcelona. So, we said, let’s try it, because everyone else is. With Paz (Marfa Sans), it was just so cool, learning about a new culture and all. Paz had a great attitude. She really set the tone for all the other players.”

Slobodnik-Stoll continued to gush about the personal growth each player has experienced interacting day to day with teammates from a variety of cultures. She added that international players come to college already having gained the experience of being on their national teams back home, and all the special golf training, nutrition education and workouts that put them a few years ahead of most American players.

“I think we did a really good job of holding off (going international) as long as we could,” she said about recruiting. “But everyone who is on this team understands we are here to be the best team in the country.”