T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown High School senior Natalie Henson, center, signed her National Letter of Intent on Wednesday at the Roundhouse to pursue her academic and golf careers at the University of Nebraska Omaha next year. Henson was joined at her signing ceremony by her parents, Mark and Andrea, seated, and MHS golf coach Lucas Johnson.

Natalie Henson’s pursuit of an aviation-related field of study reduced her college search considerably yet had her looking at schools as far away as Arizona and Maryland.

In the end, her journey landed so much closer to home.

On Wednesday, Henson signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her golf career just three hours away at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where she can target her desired academic pursuits while chasing her dreams on the links as well.

And maybe even compete against her older sister at some point next season.

“There were a lot of different factors, but one of the main things was definitely my major because aviation was hard to find,” said Henson, a senior golf standout at Marshalltown High School. “I just loved [Omaha] overall, I can totally see myself going there. With the coach and the team, everything really worked out.

“It added some stress to the search for sure because I think there’s only like one school in Iowa that offers that program so it definitely was stressful at first, but then Omaha was just such a perfect fit.”

Henson still has her senior season to play as a Bobcat, where she will chase after her fourth state tournament in as many years. Henson is a three-time state golf qualifier who has placed 22nd, ninth and fourth leading up to her final spring.

Her eyes are on the skies, both literally and figuratively.

“My top accomplishment would be a state title,” Henson said of her goals for this spring. “I’m still practicing so hopefully I can get that. The offseason is really about working on getting my swing speed up and keep practicing every day and trying to improve a little bit every day.”

Marshalltown head golf coach Lucas Johnson said that’s the best part of Henson’s game is the work she puts in outside of competition.

“The Mavs are getting an outstanding player who no doubt will be ready to contribute when she steps on campus next fall,” Johnson said. “Natalie has a work ethic that is uncommon even among the best players. I’m so glad that she was able to find a fit that suited her not only from a golf perspective but from a future career perspective as well.

“Obviously I’m looking forward to coaching her this spring and we expect big things for her senior year. She’ll be looking to make a run at an individual title as well as leading the charge for a return trip to state as a team.”

The Bobcats have advanced to the Class 4A state tournament two of the last three seasons with at least one Henson on the squad. Natalie’s older sister Amber, now a junior golfer at Drake University in Des Moines, was the individual state runner-up in 2022 when the Bobcats took third as a team.

Natalie said Omaha and Drake will potentially play in a pair of meets together in the fall of 2025, opening the door for a reunion on the golf course.

“We probably wouldn’t play together because we’ll probably be playing different places on the team, but I think it would be exciting to know my sister is there supporting me,” Natalie said. “They’re actually pretty close teams. They play each other in a couple of their tournaments, which is exciting and nice for my parents.”

Natalie has won every dual meet the Bobcats have played in during the last two seasons, going 7-for-7 since Amber graduated in 2022. As a freshman teammate of her senior sister, Natalie placed second to Amber three times during dual meets.

Natalie has won eight of the 18 tournaments the Bobcats have played in over the last two years, going 5-for-9 last spring. That included a runner-up finish at the Iowa Alliance Conference meet and a regional title before placing fourth at state last year. She was also the Alliance champion and regional runner-up as a sophomore, eventually taking ninth place at state.

Natalie has a handful of competitive championships to her name heading into her senior season. She teamed with Ryan Schmit to win the IGHSAU/IHSAA Class 2A State Co-Ed Golf Tournament in June of 2023, and Natalie was a two-time women’s champion at the Times-Republican’s City Golf Championship in 2022 and 2023. She was second — to Amber — in 2021.

She will compete in a tournament in Orlando this fall as part of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, and she’s got one last run as a Bobcat fast approaching.

“I did want to go (to college) south a little bit just for the warmer weather, but Omaha ended up being a better fit for me,” Natalie said. “The weather is definitely a tricky thing, but the simulator is open and then we always go play in a tournament in the south, too, which helps me stay in touch with my game.”

Henson is a part of a steady tradition of next-level golf coming out of Marshalltown, becoming the fifth NCAA Division I commit in Johnson’s tenure. Cole Davis is a senior at Creighton — also in Omaha — and Nate Vance played for Loyola-Chicago before tranferring to Iowa State. JD Pollard played at Kirkwood Community College before transferring to Northern Iowa, where he is currently a senior.

“It’s always a great feeling to see the hard work kids put in pay off toward their educational and athletic goals going forward,” Johnson said.

Emily Allison, a 2010 MHS graduate, also played at Creighton from 2010-2013. She was a four-time state golf qualifier as a Bobcat and a two-time T-R City Golf champion as well.