After losing just one match last year, the WHS girls golf team finished this year’s season with a remarkable 12-0 record. This is the first time the girls golf program has finished the season undefeated.

Not only did the girls show their dominance by winning every match, but they also won each match by a significant margin. Their closest match this season was a 10-stroke win against Kent Place. But they completely destroyed teams like Mount St. Dominic, beating them by 78 strokes.

“There really wasn’t a super close match where we had to be worried about winning,” senior captain Katie Encinas said.

To junior golfer Anna Bowman, the team established this dominance because it “had great players and had a great work ethic.”

Added Head Coach Katie Brenny: “When the temperature never got above 50 [degrees] in April, the girls were still totally engaged, ready to play, and excited to get better.”

The girls, however, credit Brenny for their work ethic and eminent success.

“We worked really hard during practice, taking our coach’s lessons into account and using them in the matches to win,” junior Sydney Dobson said. “She is a PGA professional, so when she provides us with tips and lessons we all know that they will improve our game.”

Because of this hard work, the girls improved immensely and were able to dominate most competitors this season.

“We have been improving a lot while the other teams have been so static,” said Encinas.

Although the girls maintained an undefeated record, they still fell short of qualifying for the state tournament as a team because they needed to place in the top four at regionals.

“Next year our goals are to qualify for states and go undefeated again,” Dobson said.

Bowman was the only golfer from Westfield to qualify for states individually, but she hopes that her team will be able to join her at next year’s state competition.

“Next year my goals are to win conferences again,” Bowman said, “and make it to states as a team.”

States are in reach for this talented group of golfers next year, as they have many freshmen and sophomores coming in with a lot of potential. Brenny wants the team to consistently score in the 160s. “If we do that, we can contend,” she said.

Encinas is very impressed with what she has seen in the younger golfers throughout the season, and hopes the program will continue to grow.

“Even with the newer players on the team,” said Encinas, “we’ve seen a lot of progress.”