On Oct. 24-26, the MPSAA Golf State Championship took place at the University of Maryland. The golf team qualified to compete at the state tournament after making the cut at districts.
The first day consisted of all the 3A/4A schools and individuals competing to qualify for the 3A/4A championship. The second day was the same as the first day except everyone competing was in 1A/2A and the last day was the championship.
Day one of the competition came with great individual performances for the team. Senior captain Dimitri Townsend finished with 75 strokes, junior Fannie Sukhumparnich with 77 strokes, freshman Paul Gomes with 87 strokes and freshman Daniel Kim with 113 strokes. The team failed to advance to the championship round, however, both Townsend and Sukhumparnich advanced individually. Gomes just barely missed out on advancing, finishing two strokes over the cut.
On the last day of the tournament, Townsend shot a 75, four shots over par, and had a combined score of 150 to finish ninth place out of 53 golfers. Sukhumparnich shot an 82, 11 shots over par, and had a combined score of 159 to finish tied for ninth place out of 47 golfers.
States was a great experience for the team, but especially for Townsend as it was his last opportunity to compete in the biggest tournament of the season.
“It was unique since it was my first time competing at states. I was excited to play in it since it has always been a dream of mine,” Townsend said.
The environment is intense with tough competition, but the team feels that they were prepared for the moment.
“Being at states came with a lot of pressure but I feel like our team dealt with it pretty well. Coach Wheeler’s support also helped a lot with the pressure. Throughout the season he’s helped us manage our nerves and overcome our obstacles,” Gomes said.
With the season over, the golf team can look back at the season with great pride. They finished the regular season top of their division with a record of 14-4 and had two golfers get top ten at states.
“I think this year has been one of our best. We got more players and new talented people,” senior Isabel Payen said.
The team improved this season, as the whole team went to states compared to only sending two individuals last year. The future for the golf program is bright as some of the most important golfers of this year have more seasons to come.
“We are losing some seniors but we are confident in our ability to improve next year. Hopefully we get some new golfers next season to add to our team. I also think that we will come back well next year because of the work we will put in in the offseason,” Gomes said.
