A Bright Future for Middle School Golf The 2016 middle school golf season proved to be both challenging and rewarding. The challenge was replacing a number of golfers who had played the previous season. The reward was watching a young team with very little tournament experience grow and develop their skills as the season progressed. The season started in mid-August with five golfers, Maadhav Muralidharan ‘22, Paari Kaviyarasu ‘22, Zach Ware ‘22, Tyrell DeBose ‘23, and Eric Albers ‘23. Of the five, only Maadhav and Paari had previous playing experience while the others were relative newcomers. However, lack of experience was no deterrent to this group who practiced daily in the August heat preparing for the season. By the time school started the team was bolstered by the addition of two 8th graders, Carsten Judge, a very experienced player who had just transferred to Wellington from Indiana, and Paige Bennett, who had played on previous teams. Early matches were very tightly contested with one stroke often being the difference between victory and defeat. The combination of Judge, Muralidharan, and Kaviyarasu guaranteed the team was always in the match, and it would typically come down to the fourth score to determine the match outcome.
According to Coach Bill Mitchin, “We knew going into every match that our core players would deliver solid scores and it would be up to our new players to carry us over the top. As the new players gained more experience we began to win more matches.” After starting the season with one win against six defeats, the practice began to pay dividends as the team went on to win four of their final five matches finishing the season with a record of five wins and seven defeats. The highlight of the year came in the final match of the season facing a Worthington Christian team that had defeated Wellington by 43 strokes the first match of the season. As night began to fall on the course, the final group of players were forced to finish their round in the dark. “We literally had parents and friends holding flashlights and cell phones on the final green so the players could finish their round,” Mitchin recalled. In the end Wellington secured a 5-stroke victory to avenge the early season defeat. The team’s final match was a testament to the perseverance of the players with everyone having improved and contributed to its success. The final victory was their reward for all the effort they put into the season. For the season Muralidharan and Judge were the most consistent players averaging 39.6 and 41.1 strokes per round, respectively. Muralidharan finished 3rd overall out of 84 players in the middle school championship at Pine Hill Golf Club. “The true measure of the team’s growth and performance is every member contributed scores to a team victory,” Mitchin said. “With Maadhav, Paari, Zach, Tyrell, and Eric back next season our future is very bright.”
PICTURED Below: Maadhav Muralidharan ’22 makes par putt to finish 3rd overall at Panther Invitational Championship. Right: Zach Ware ’22, Carsten Judge ’21, Eric Albers ’23, Coach Bill Mitchin, Paari Kaviyarasu ’22, Paige Bennett ’21, Maadhav Muralidharan ’22.
THE WELLINGTON SCHOOL
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