Golf Team Ends Season

By Ashley Bowden
Assistant Copyeditor

The golf team ended its season on Saturday, April 22, in a two-round tournament at the Williams Spring Invitational. The team earned sixth place with a total score of 706, just three points behind Hamilton College. Hannah Pohalski, team member and senior health sciences major, led the team with a score of 160 and ended the tournament in tenth place.

Abby Snidemiller, team member and sophomore accounting major, expressed her excitement before the tournament. “We’re going to be competing against some really solid teams this tournament. This is good for us because it’ll really make us focus on our games.”

“Williams College will probably be our most difficult tournament faced over the last year. The competition is very strong,” Pohalski added before the tournament. A couple of the teams competing in the invitational won their individual conferences. Two even advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Tournament.

Not only was this event the closer for the spring season, but it was also the final game for the team’s senior members. The golf team started in 2014, and Pohalski was one of the original members. “I loved being on the team, loved all my teammates and how well we all meshed together,” she said, “The golf program has grown tremendously since its inception.” She believes that the new coach, Craig Maerki, who had  been the men’s golf coach at SUNY Old Westbury before joining LIU Post in 2016, will ensure golf on campus will be a great program. Graduating out of the golf team is a bittersweet experience for Pohalski because she personally believes she has not been playing at her best.

Snidemiller elaborated on how the team has not been playing to their full potential. “We [had hoped] to improve our scores because the past couple of tournaments have been a little rough.” The team has not been able to practice as often as they would like, only about six to eight hours twice a week. “We’re hoping to step it up this tournament,” Pohalski said before the Williams Spring Invitational.

The golf team, which consists of six members, bonded well in their gameplay. The team works together, and “always have each other’s back,” Snidemiller said. The members are comfortable with each other and they can play with the confidence that someone will always be able to perform well.

The Williams Spring Invitational was held at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass., one of the highest-rated college courses in the country. “It should be a test of our golf game and mental capabilities,” Pohalski said before the weekend. Snidemiller added that the team looked forward to getting lower scores and, “staying focused the entire round.”

“We make things interesting out there and we work really hard to prepare,” Snidemiller said.