Harvard Starts Spring Strong

The Harvard women’s golf team showed no signs of rust in its first spring match.

The Crimson took on Dartmouth and Brown in the Triangular this weekend at the Cape Cod Country Club, dominating its Ivy opponents en route to a sound victory.

Junior Emily Balmert (75-77) and sophomore Claire Sheldon (80-77) placed first and second as individuals, helping to keep the overall match well out of reach. Balmert enjoyed the low score after the first round on Saturday and anchored the Crimson by maintaining her strong play.

Brown took second in the tournament, leaving Dartmouth with the high score.

Captain Jessica Hazlett (80-83), junior Ali Bode (80-79), and freshman Mia Kabasakalis (79-83) also contributed to the team score, while the other four members of the squad competed as individuals. Sophomores Sarah Harvey (79-83) and Caroline Vik, as well as senior Debby Amanti and junior Jenny Brine posted promising scores, demonstrating the depth of the Crimson squad.

The Crimson began the first day with solid team play, bringing a significant lead into yesterday’s round.

“Conditions were much worse on the second day, rainy and cold,” Kabasakalis said of the weather in Falmouth, MA.

“The course wasn’t in great shape,” Sheldon added. “Different greens did different things and even if you did exactly what you wanted, you could get different results.”

Still, Harvard would not be deterred in its opener. After succumbing to a rainout the previous week, the women played through the remnants of winter and gave little ground to the Bears or the Big Green.

In particular, Sheldon praised her team’s ability to weather the mental obstacle of an unpredictable course.

“When you are executing and not getting results, you can get down on yourself,” Sheldon explained. “I think people did a good job of sticking it out.”

While Brown and Dartmouth may not represent the toughest challenges of the Ivy League, the Crimson still used the match to make an important statement: with this win the squad plans to pick up right where it left off after a successful fall season.

“It takes a little getting used to [returning to competitive matches],” Sheldon said. “But this match was a good warmup, with a smaller field than usual. It helps us ease our way back into the season.”

The first competition in April can indeed be jarring, coming at the heels of a more relaxed spring break.

“The spring break training trip to Florida was great for us,” Hazlett said. “It was nice to get out and play in the sun, but it’s always kind of a shock coming back.”

The training seems to have made a positive impact, as Harvard finds itself quite short on time. The Columbia-hosted Roar-ee Invitational marks the only other competitive play for the Crimson before the Ivy League championships in two weeks. Despite this short introduction to the spring season, the team has demonstrated critical poise so far.

“Considering we’ve only had three weeks of practice, people are playing really well,” Kabasakalis said.

“Everyone’s feeling good about their swing,” Hazlett added.

With Ivies looming, Harvard will look to translate this momentum into a league title. Considering how flawlessly the squad bridged the four-month gap between competitive matches, the Crimson’s consistent play will make it a formidable unit heading into the league’s biggest tournament.