On May 13, the girls golf team finished up a successful season with junior Lily Patel competing at the NJSIAA Girls Tournament of Champions. After a season full of firsts, the Blue Devils are proud of the team they have become.
The season started out well for Westfield, opening up with wins against New Providence and Mount St. Dominic. After welcoming their new coach, Kevin Everly, the pressure was on to show themselves as a real varsity team. “We ended up with a record of 7-3 and qualified for the state sectional,” said Everly, which proved how successful they were as a team throughout the whole season.
One of their few losses came from the talented Kent Place team, but the Blue Devils did not let the challenging match ruin their confidence. In past years, Kent Place proved to be a constant battle for the team. Coming within ten points of the Dragons proved that the Blue Devils have significantly improved as a team and continue on to do so.
On April 22, Westfield traveled to Suburban Country Club for the Union County Championships. Junior Lily Patel brought home her third consecutive title, putting her in position for the four year sweep. Juniors Chloe Martin and Ella Dolling, along with senior Claire Gallagher, also competed in the tournament, and were there to cheer Patel on for her win.
Over the course of the season, the Blue Devils built a strong bond between the players. With long bus rides and practice rounds playing together, the team had plenty of time to make long lasting memories. “The atmosphere was very good this year,” said sophomore Sadie Pitigala. “Everyone was friends and it was always fun to practice and play with each other.”
However, the highlight of the season came at Francis Byrne Golf Course for the Greater Essex County Tournament. Patel, Martin, Gallagher and Pitigala were joined by junior Peyton Harrington going against 13 other schools. As a team, Westfield took home third place. But in a thrilling playoff against Princeton commit Ysabel Liu, Patel won the individual title, shooting an incredible 64, and taking her first Greater Essex County title. “That was definitely a highlight of the season,” said Patel. “I shot my lowest score ever, which was a big confidence booster going into the summer season.”
In between all the tournaments, some new faces got to see the course and put up good numbers. With the returning members there to help their game grow and mature, the four new players proved to be a valuable asset to the team, paving the way for a successful future.
Next year, the Blue Devils hope to continue their upward momentum. As a growing team in a growing sport, there are no limits for the Westfield girls golf team.
