JACKSON TWP — Two weeks before her freshman year at Seneca Valley, Jenn Suder decided to play golf.

She had never swung a club. She had never attempted a putt outside of a miniature golf course, but Suder was determined to play for the Raiders girls golf team.

"My grandpap and dad played, so I figured I'd give it a shot," Suder said.

After her first nine holes, Suder tallied up her score and shrugged it off: mid-50s.

To her, that was normal. Ask any Sunday duffer and he will tell you it is anything but.

"I honestly didn't know how unusual that was," Suder said.

But Suder, who is entering her senior season at Seneca Valley, is an unusual kind of athlete.

She spent 13 years as a gymnast and played soccer as a youth.

Suder also began diving last season and nearly advanced to the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships.

She decided to give diving a try because it is a lot like gymnastics.

"In one you land on year head," Suder said. "In the other, you land on your feet."

It didn't take long for Suder to land on her feet on the golf course. Her rapid success caught her and her coach by surprise.

"I think being an athlete in multiple sports has really helped her," said Seneca Valley girls golf coach Lynn Wagner. "Her competitive nature, her determination — those things have all carried over into golf."

Suder has steadily improved her game. Always solid off the tee — she is consistently one of the team's longest hitters — it's been her vast improvement around the green that allowed her to shave 10 strokes off her score in the last two seasons.

Her average score last fall was a 45, exactly the same as teammate Paige Wojdyla.

"We were the same right down to the decimal points," Suder said.

The two sometimes play together during the summer, but each has a different view of the game.

Wojdyla plays in numerous tournaments in the offseason. Suder spent her summer on diving boards.

That doesn't mean Suder isn't committed to the game.

"First of all, I hope we have a good season," Suder said. "I'm really hoping for that. I also hope I can go further individually."

Suder shot a 99 in the first round of the WPIAL Girls Golf Championship at South Hills Country Club last October and missed the cut.

There is little reason to believe Suder won't improve on that score.

"She's a strong player," Wagner said. "She's a great ball striker, but it's probably her energy and enthusiasm that helps her the most.

"It's very impressive what she has been able to accomplish in a short time."