With an electric start to the first half of the season, the varsity girls’ golf team has done nothing but improve, Head Coach Thomas Cieplik said.
The team started their season with a tournament win at the Mount Prospect invite on Aug. 11 by shooting 336, junior Rayya Patel explained. The win set the tone for the rest of the season, Patel added.
“That [win] was just the start [of the season] and we continued to improve in our play and place in more challenging tournaments [and] matches,” Patel said.
Along with a team victory at the Mount Prospect Invite, sophomore Captain Sonam Konanahalli kicked off the season strong by placing first with a score of 77. While at the invite, Konanahalli knocked a goal off of her bucket list.
“Winning [the] Mount Prospect Invite both individually and with the team was so fun because [winning] has been one of my biggest goals for a while,” Konanahalli
said. “[So] starting off the season with a team win was super exciting.”
With the team’s fast start this season, Cieplik credits that to the presence of veteran players on the team.
“We have a lot of young players on the roster, this year, and our veteran players have done a great job demonstrating hard work, perseverance, while maintaining integrity throughout the season,” Cieplik said. “That has translated into a great team environment.”
As a captain, Konanahalli embodies the veteran role on the team and takes it upon herself to help lead the team.
“I lead the team by being supportive and motivating,” Konanahalli said. “It is easy to get discouraged or frustrated while playing, [so] I [will] try to be as uplifting as possible.”
Along with Konanahalli’s success as one of the team leaders, seniors Hayden Joseph and Olivia Kim have been successful leading the team on the course, as both had a successful regional matchup on Sept. 28 that helped them qualify for sectionals. Cieplik explained that their perseverance throughout the regional match helped them to come out on top.
“Hayden and Olivia shot extremely well under tough conditions at the IHSA regional tournament,” Cieplik said. “Their consistency off the tee and their ability to make shots around the green gave Hayden and Olivia the opportunity to finish in the top ten as individuals.” Cieplik explained that their success in the regional tournament translated to the sectional matchup on Oct. 2 where Kim and Joseph fell short of making state.
“Their solid ball striking and play continued at the IHSA sectional tournament,” Cieplik said. “Hayden shot an 89 and Olivia an 83 finishing just outside the 79 cut-
line [to make state].”
