The girls’ golf team teed off at the NCS Division 1 High School playoffs on Nov. 3 at the Windsor Golf Club. The team has had an amazing season, nearly undefeated within the league with six wins and two losses. Junior Alina Wang and sophomore Pearl Pahwa were awarded First Team All League awards. Sophomore Zoe Luu received Second Team All League, and Junior Stephanie Lee was named Honorable Mention All League. The team placed second at the DAL league tournament, achieved without any seniors on the team this year, which freshman Sadie McClure thinks is a good thing: “It shows how strong our team is, because even with no seniors, we still can do really well, and I’m really happy that we’ll have our juniors back next year.”
This tournament is truly a breakthrough for Campolindo’s girls’ varsity golf team. According to the head coach, Hilleary Wright, this is the first time that Campolindo girls’ golf has qualified for the NCS playoffs as a team in seven years or more. Being able to make it into the NCS playoffs for the first time in multiple years without seniors is already truly an achievement, yet the team took it even further. They placed eighth overall, confirming Lee’s beliefs: “I think we should place in the top ten out of the 22 teams”, setting a record for the Campolindo girls’ golf team. Pahwa says, “I’m happy with how our team did…breaking the record of top ten in D1 for the first time in over 20 years.”
At the tournament, the girls’ golf team hoped to do well. Wang and Pahwa, two players who participated in NCS last year, said they hope this year’s tournament will go better than their previous NCS tournament. Wright made a point to put this all in perspective. She said, “I like to remind the team that this is a hard game, so let’s be kind to ourselves, because the game will be hard enough on us. I try not to make it too competitive.”
When the players were asked what strategies they have to keep themselves calm under pressure, Lee said she always tries to remember “you can lose the battle but you can win the war,” emphasizing how she never gives up. Wang thinks similarly: “I just don’t think of anything, like that’s just how I keep my peace.”
Sophomore Zoe Luu said that she thinks the team didn’t do badly, but there’s definitely room for improvement, seeing as the team had placed first overall at the St. Patrick’s – St. Vincent Invitational at Blue Rock Springs in Vallejo earlier this year. The girls look forward to improving their game during the off-season, hopefully to have a more impressive season next year. Wang hopes for the team to place in the top three at NCS next year in order to qualify for the NorCal Championships.
