By David Fierro
Finishing the season by winning a state title is an accomplishment that most teams can only dream of.
For the Greenwich High School girls team, such a dream became a reality.
Receiving strong rounds of 18-hole golf from its entire lineup, Greenwich won the CIAC Division I Championship, posting an aggregate score of 337 at Timberlin Hill Golf Club in Berlin on Wednesday.
The victory gave the Cardinals their first girls state golf title since the 2016 season. It also marked the Cardinals’ third CIAC state championship, overall. Greenwich also claimed the state championship in 2014.
New Canaan, which won the team title at the CIAC Division I Tournament last season, placed second with a team aggregate score of 340, followed by Trumbull (357), Amity (366) and Hall (372). The Division I Tournament included 15 teams at Timberlin Hill Golf Club.
Greenwich was the runner-up to New Canaan in the 2023 Division I tourney. Sophomore Ally Bauer shot an 81 to help pace the Cardinals in Wednesday’s CIAC Division I Tournament. Morgan Peterson of Glastonbury was the tournament’s medalist with a 2-under-par 70. Amanda Vigano from New Canaan carded a 79, while Bauer earned third place medalist honors with her round of 81.
Grace Codd of Trumbull shot an 81, Sydney Hidgalo (Cheshire) posted an 84, while Greenwich junior Zarah Hillman and senior Maddie Driscoll, also of Greenwich, each had a round of 85 – good for a sixth-place finish.
Caroline McShea shot an 86 for the Cardinals, coached by Taner Karakas. She finished in a ninth-place tie with five other players, in the state tournament, which included 79 golfers.
“Wow, this has been just a remarkable season,” McShea said. “Going from undefeated to winning the state championship really wrapped it all up for our 2023 season. I’m proud of every one of my teammates and I thank my coaches, because without them, we couldn’t have done all of this.”
“My round went OK, I was paired with two very nice players that did very well,” McShea noted. “I hit the ball great and I knocked in putts that I knew I needed to.”
The Cards’ memorable 2023 season saw them earn a perfect regular season record of 12-0, including victories against New Canaan and Staples. They proceeded to place second behind Trumbull in last week’s FCIAC Tournament at Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course in Fairfield, then put forth an excellent performance on their way to capturing the state title yesterday.
“I am proud of the girls and their achievements during the regular season as we went undefeated,” Karakas said. “While finishing second at FCIACs was a disappointment, the girls rallied behind each other and played the best golf at the best time during states.”
Junior Charlotte Langhorne of Greenwich was one of four players to register a round of 87 at the Division I Tournament. Langhorne finished in a 15th-place tie for the Cardinals, who got consistent rounds from each athlete throughout the season.
“It was a wonderful round and a super cool course to play,” Langhorne said. “I’m so proud of us as a unit and how supportive we all are of each other. My round started off really great and I had a pretty decent front nine. The back nine I was definitely trying to get back into the club house because we were so close with New Canaan. Way more pressure on the back, but once again, I’m so proud of how we all pulled it together.”
Earning the state championship plaque was a feat the Cardinals had their sights set on all spring.
“It still feels surreal winning the state championship for the first time in my high school golf career,” McShea said. “As soon as I walked off that 18th green in Berlin, I could see all my teammates smiling and I knew that this was it.”
