With an overall record of 6-2, the girls golf team earned second place in the Mid-Season League Tournament, beating competitors Chaminade High School and Marlborough High School and losing to Notre Dame High School.

In the tournament, Elli Koo ’24 led the team with an individual score of 35 while Nicole Lee ’24 and Claire Young ’24 scored 37 each.

New student Madi Ushiba ’24 said the encouraging environment created by her teammates has contributed to the team’s recent success.

“Overall, we’ve played well,” Ushiba said. “After the mid-season tournament, we learned that everyone plays an important role on the team, and if one person isn’t playing their best, they have an amazing support system around them who will always cheer them on.”

In its most recent match Sept. 30, the team beat Marlborough High School with a score of 189-177. Previously, the team beat Chaminade High School and Marymount High School in league play with scores of 225-201 and 264-220, respectively.

While the squad lost to Notre Dame earlier in the season, Girls Golf Program Head Branden Augustus said his team took the setback as an opportunity to improve and welcomes later matches against Notre Dame as healthy competition.

“Notre Dame has a very experienced and talented squad,” Augustus said. “Counting league tournaments, we get a chance to play them four times this season. I think that experience will benefit us tremendously as we move towards the postseason, where we may get a chance to play them yet again.”

Augustus said regardless of the team’s winning record, he believes players should push for a stronger performance as a unit.

“Although we have put up some pretty good scores, I don’t think we have played our best golf collectively yet this season,” Augustus said. “Every member of our varsity team can play some really good golf and would be a top player on most teams in the southern section. I’m very proud of how supportive all of our players have been for one another.”

Claire Young ’24 said her limited experience playing during the shortened 2020-2021 season has made it difficult to keep up with the quick pace of this year’s play. Like Ushiba, Young said mutual encouragement has been fundamental to the team’s success in overcoming consequent issues.

“One of our key strengths as a team is our ability to encourage one another, which has helped us keep momentum after each victory,” Young said. “After [the mid-season league tournament], we know we have it in us to continue building each other up to end the year on a good note.”

Preliminary rounds of the playoffs are set to begin Oct. 18, following the team’s last league match of the season against Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy Oct. 14. Individual finals will be held Oct. 21.