By Jack Hardman, Staff Writer
The Hawks returned to the green once again for this fall’s season of golf. The Hawks came off a dominant year where they won the 3A/4A state championship by an impressive 28 strokes in front of their nearest competitors.
The golf team’s season is quick and action packed. Both the boys and girl’s teams were 6-0 and the county champions after beating Marriotts Ridge 96-94. There was notable drama leading up to the county championship as the Hawks had consistently failed to beat Marriotts Ridge for the past 14 years. When asked for details surrounding the win, Coach Graves said, “They had been undefeated in county play for 84 consecutive matches until we finally found a way to beat them by two points to finally dethrone them as county champions, which has taken a long time.” The Hawks also won districts recently and are preparing for states.
The Hawks will enter district play where Anne Arundel and Howard County teams will compete against each other in a coed format. When asked about their chances for victory in states and another undefeated season, Gina Dhaliwal said, “we will put up our best effort and I think we have a very good chance because we all have a lot of discipline when it comes to practicing.”
The Hawks generally have one team practice a week, but as most players would admit, one practice is not enough. When asked about how individuals prepare on their own, Cole Spies said, “That one practice doesn’t even matter. Practicing alone is the best way to get better. Playing the course and putting yourself in game type shot situations is the best way to prepare.” Gina agreed, saying that, “playing the course beforehand and practicing your swing is the best practice.”
Some notable players on this years squad are senior Benjamin Siriboury, who has won states twice individually and he is currently committed to play golf for the University of Maryland; senior Helen Yeung, who also won states twice and is currently committed to play golf for UNC; and freshmen Michelle Yeung who, according to Cole, “has the skill to go D1” and Gina added that, “she puts in as much effort as both Ben and Helen.” Both Ben and Helen are projected to win states this year.
We look forward to seeing another successful year of golf for the River Hill Hawks.