The Lady Knight’s Golf team drove out of the season with a 5-9 overall record and a 5-6 record in their section, placing them fourth out of seven in Section III of the WPIAL standings. This put them ahead of Penn-Trafford, Connellsville, and Gateway schools.
This season, there were seven seniors on the team as well as four new freshmen. The seniors are Maura Henaghan, Mackenzie Wray, Lia Guzzie, Emily Petrulak, Kathryn Metzger, Ella Simpson, and Katherine McGrail. With Wray and Guzzie acting as team captains, the seniors have experience that help the freshmen thrive by teaching them from their previous knowledge. In the past two years, this is the best the team has done.
“I honestly loved having this many seniors on the team because the majority of the team was people I’ve played with for years,” team captain Mackenzie Wray said. “We typically only play six girls in matches, so it was definitely rough fighting for those spots, however any senior that didn’t play practiced with the younger girls and still supported the team.”
Coach Sonny Bruni understands the way the team flows and tries to get them motivated for any matches that come up. Although golf is a very individualized sport, the girls build off of each other and support each other, which helps each of them in the long run.
“It takes commitment to get to the next level and everyone has to work hard to accomplish that,” Bruni stated. “I love the fact that everyone shows up for practice and is ready to get better.”
Individually, Junior Adalena Robb got second in the 3A sectional qualifying round, scoring a 79 with a target score of 88. At the first round of the WPIAL Individual Championships, Robb placed 22 out of 29 with a total of 96, advancing her to the 3A Girls’ Final Championship round, where she placed 21 out of 29 girls.
“I think I definitely improved this season and shot better scores this year than last,” Robb said. “Although I am still not where I want to be. I could improve by changing my mental attitude. When I hit a bad shot, I just get mentally checked out.”
For the future of the team, freshmen joining next year due to the seniors graduating at the end of this school year will be crucial. Many of the seniors have been working since they were freshmen, which means that this year’s freshmen have the advantage of learning from them, and the knowledge will be passed on. The girls will hopefully continue to stand strong next season with the four new freshman and number of sophomores and juniors.
