Women's Golf Finishes One Stroke Short

Author: Andreas Apostolatos

In what can only be called a heartbreaking finale to an otherwise strong inaugural varsity season, the Middlebury women's golf team came up only one stroke short of St. Lawrence for a second-place overall finish at Williams on Oct. 12. The Panthers posted a team score of 350, which put them just two strokes ahead of third-place Wesleyan in a very tight top half of the six-team field that also included Vassar, Holy Cross and host Williams.

"To lose by only one stroke to St. Lawrence is pretty disappointing," commented first-year Kerry Ortega, who delivered Middlebury's top individual performance with an 83 for the day. "They have a very solid golf team, and after working hard all day, having one stroke decide it is rough."

Heather Gallagher '07 shot an 87 on the challenging Williams course for Middlebury's second best individual score, followed by a pair of 90s from Sally Hartman '06 and first-year Allison Ortega, Kerry's twin sister. Senior captain Emily Lord put in a 91 for the day.

As Middlebury's opening season is officially done, it is important to recognize both the high level of play the Panthers brought to the table this season and the success that came with it. The team won its first two tournaments in stirring fashion, notching convincing victories at the Williams and Middlebury Invitationals. While Middlebury's results in the second half of the season reflect a mild slip after the pair of first-place finishes to start the season, the Panthers were clearly put up against tougher competition towards the end. Middlebury comes away from its 2003 and first-ever varsity campaign having gained a mix of vital experience and relative success, which bodes well for the future.

With five of six players set to return next season, the Panthers should only up the ante. Furthermore, a different player led Middlebury in three of its four matches, which speaks to the amount of talent present on the roster. In only a few short years the team has evolved from a haphazard club sport searching for players to fill out the roster to a full-fledged varsity program able to compete with and defeat the top teams in New England.

"Things have been very positive through the season," said Kerry Ortega. "There seems to be lots of commitment to the future of Middlebury women's golf. The interest level is high, and the hard work of all the players shows that we really wanted to set a precedent in our first year as a varsity program."