The newly crowned CAA women’s golfer of the week is N.C. A&T’s own, Ekaterina Prokhorova.

She hails all the way from Moscow, Russia and interestingly enough, she’s inspired by the work of late NBA hall of famer, Kobe Bryant, with results that speak for themselves.

Early September, at the Bridgestone HBCU Invitational, Prokhorova finished 18 strokes ahead of the second place winner.

She shot 14 strokes under the par, the standard number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to take to complete a hole. To top it off, she broke five N.C. A&T records in the process, giving the Aggies their 10th team win since 2016.

The tournament took place at the TPC at Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. This happened to be the same course where golf legend Tiger Woods won the Bellsouth Classic in 1998 for his seventh PGA tour victory. With her recent victory, the CAA women’s golfer of the week joins elite company.

This success didn’t come without work though. Prokhorova arrived in America weighing 100lbs. She stated that the way she exercised  was very different. In Russia, the weight room was never a part of her routine.

“I was 145 … 45lbs in two years, that was a lot of work,” said Prokhorova.

The transition from Russia occurred long before she entered the weight room. However, the language barrier was just another mountain for Prokhorova to conquer.

The director of golf and head coach, Mesha Levister joked at how “American” she sounded when saying her name.

“She speaks really good English so you know, it wasn’t that bad when it comes to that,” said Levister.

The Moscow native spent two years at Appalachian State University and grew fond of North Carolina for the consistent weather conditions. In a sport where the wind, temperature, and precipitation can monumentally impact success, that choice speaks volumes.

When she arrived at the largest public HBCU, complications were still sure to come. Prokhorova received a brand new set of clubs which takes most athletes a few months to get used to. However, Prokhorova once again embraced and overcame the problems set before her.

“It normally takes a couple of months to really get acclimated … she came in and absolutely dominated,” said Levister.

Years of experience have poured into the athlete that Prokhorova is today but aside from lifting and language, her mentality required an adjustment as well.

“I was (a) very emotional player … if the emotions take control over you, then the results can be bad all the time,” said Prokhorova.

Her athletic maturity is an inspiration to teammates and coaches. She’s lovingly earned the nickname “E-KAT”. Ironically, her fellow Russian and teammate Polina Marina saw her emotion in a positive light.

“E-KAT is very goal oriented … she’s emotional in a good way and she’s really positive,” said Marina.

Prokhorova expressed that she strives to be the best version of herself and do things everyday to improve herself even in the little things.

“Be grateful for whatever you have, and be grateful for the opportunities that you have, and try to take advantage and do as much as you can,” said Prokhorova.