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06/01/2019 12:00 AMThe Guilford golf team is a young club that’s risen to the occasion and taken advantage of its opportunities to compete this season. The Indians’ skills were on full display when they opened up the postseason by turning in a fourth-place performance at the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship last week.
After graduating several people from last year, Guilford entered 2019 with only two returning players who had any varsity experience. While the Indians were unsure of what the campaign would bring, they finished with a record of 14-4 during a regular season that saw them win the SCC Division II title.
On May 28, Guilford competed at the SCC Championship that was held on the par-71 course at Race Brook Country Club in Orange. The Indians went into the competition as the No. 7 seed and moved up to fourth place by posting a collective score of 338 for the 18-hole round. Hand took the title with a team score of 311, while Xavier (330) finished in second place and Fairfield Prep (331) placed third.
Head Coach Dave Esteban was pleased with how his group performed while batting the elements on a wet and windy day at SCCs.
“I thought they performed very well. Race Brook is a challenging course with one of the tougher tracks for anyone to play,” Esteban said. “Then you throw in the weather with the wind whipping and a little bit of rain. I thought the entire field performed well.”
Junior captain John Kosh led the way for Guilford with a round of 80, netting himself All-SCC honors. Junior Kyle Richard finished with a score of 83, while sophomore Shea Thibault shot an 84 for the Indians. Junior Noah Kosh and freshman Miguel Pearce both returned to the clubhouse with a score of 91 at the meet.
Coach Esteban said that the Indians’ regular-season feats gave them the mental edge they needed in order to hit a big postseason target.
“Going into the year, our goal was to be competitive every week and then to make the SCCs. It was also a great feeling to win the division title,” said Esteban. “We then made a new goal for SCCs, which was to finish higher than we were seeded. We finished behind three strong teams, so I was very happy with how we finished. It was a true team effort.”
Sam Hao is the only senior on Guilford’s roster this season. The Indians knew there would be some questions with so many new players entering the fold, but they benefited from the solid play of several underclassmen.
“We had some people come out of nowhere,” Coach Esteban said. “Kyle Richard was a lacrosse player who became our No. 3 player and was consistent. Shea Thibault was JV last year and got better over the summer and this year. Miguel took a while to develop confidence, but he became a pleasant surprise. Everyone contributed on this team, and they exceeded my preseason expectations. They put the work in, and they just kept plugging along.”
Esteban also noted that junior EJ Vickerman and sophomores Peter Keanna, Eve Young, Collin Lee, and Andrew Ciocca are emerging prospects who turned in some solid rounds on the links this spring.
“Peter Keanna was JV last year, but didn’t disappoint this year. EJ Vickerman was new to the team and gave us good matches early, and Eve Young did two varsity matches and held her own,” Esteban said. “Collin Lee has been getting better since March, as did Andrew Ciocca. It all makes things look bright for the future.”
Next up for the Indians is the Division II State Championship that’s taking place this week. Coach Esteban said that Guilford has the same goal going into the state meet as it did entering SCCs.
“Our goal for states is to finish higher than we are going into it, and we’re seeded 7th, but I also want the kids to have fun while playing another competitive course,” said Esteban. “The top tier of the SCC can play with anyone in the state, so based on the competition we’ll see, we think we can put a good showing out there.”
From the Sidelines
Rounding out the team standings at the SCC Championship were Notre Dame-West Haven in fifth (340), Hamden in sixth (343), Shelton in seventh (356), Amity in eighth (364), and Law in ninth (368).
The Division II State Championship will take place at Stanley Golf Course in New Britain on Monday, June 3 at 8 a.m.
During the regular season, Guilford earned two wins versus Law (187-208 and 165-168), Foran (184-194 and 165-192), Lyman Hall (175-198 and 181-182), East Haven (155-201 and 161-227), and Hillhouse (155-218 and 154-219), as well as one victory apiece against Career (185-270), North Haven (161-202), Cross (155-195), and Shelton (172-176).
The Indians took losses against Notre Dame-West Haven (167-190), Shelton (162-189), Hand (146-190), and Hamden (174-190).