Great Neck girls win fifth straight LI golf championship
Great Neck District wins the Long Island girls team golf championship for the fifth year in a row at Bethpage Green on Tuesday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Standing shoulder to shoulder on the 18th tee box, arms draped around one another, the Great Neck District girls golf team looked more like a family than a team — and played like a dynasty.
With a school-record team score, Great Neck clinched its fifth consecutive Long Island championship Tuesday at Bethpage Green, defeating Southampton/Pierson, 404–472.
“They look out for each other,” coach Matt Corrigan said. “It’s the product of them doing this for so long and so many years. It’s a culture they have, and everyone wants to be a part of it.”
Junior Caylin Wong led the charge with an even-par 72, the lowest round of the day, with 35 on the front nine and 37 on the back. She credited recent work on her putting for the breakthrough.
LONG ISLAND TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
(At Bethpage Green) Par 72
Great Neck District 404, Southampton/Pierson 472
Caylin Wong (Great Neck District) 72, Elie Poremba (Southampton/Pierson) 76, Cherry Wong (Great Neck District) 77, Tiffany Liu (Great Neck District) 84, Lia Huang (Great Neck District) 85, Doris Lu (Great Neck District) 86, Zoe Coady (Southampton/Pierson) 95, Audrey Gao (Great Neck District) 98, Reese Swiatocha (Southampton/Pierson) 98, Kathyrn Blackmore (Southampton/Pierson) 101, Jillian Swiatocha (Southampton/Pierson) 102, Virginia Kasselakis (Southampton/Pierson) 108
“I was struggling at counties to make putts, but I worked really hard over the weekend,” Wong said. “Today, I made a lot of birdie putts and par putts. Hearing the ball fall in the hole just brings me back into the moment. It’s a great feeling.”
Sophomore Cherry Wang added a 77, while senior Tiffany Liu shot an 84, and seventh grader Doris Lu and junior Lia Huang posted rounds of 83 and 85. Great Neck also broke its own school record for lowest team front nine with a 200.
“Our trust in each other is what keeps us going,” Huang said. “If one person doesn’t do well, we still get the job done.”
Great Neck, which went undefeated at 10–0 this season, continues to set a standard not just with its play, but its unity.
“If someone needs help with their swing or reading a putt, we help them out,” Wong said. “It’s important to make everyone comfortable and keep spirits up.”
“We spend so much time on the course, it’s hard not to be close with each other,” senior Audrey Gao said.
Southampton was led by freshman Elie Poremba, who carded a 76. Both teams advance to the state championship at Wild Wood Country Club in Rush on June 8–9.
