Menlo’s varsity girls golf team finished 14th at the CCS Championships last month, closing out a year in which the roster leaned heavily on underclassmen and first-time players. 

Junior team captain Ella Werlin said that the team focused on having fun and educational practices. “Getting to bond together as a team was my favorite part of the season,” Werlin said. 

Freshman Nadine Abdulkariem agreed that the team culture was a key factor in creating a supportive environment during their season. “Whenever someone was having a bad day, all the girls would be by your side in a second,” Abdulkariem said.

Looking ahead, the team captains have discussed their goal of increasing the size of the team. “I hope that next year we get more people,” Werlin said. The team had 12 players this season. “Even if people don’t play golf, they should try it out. It’s a lot of fun.” 

Werlin has high hopes for future seasons, especially given the talent of underclassmen like freshmen Niva Sharma and Serena Tang, who both scored well throughout the season, regularly finishing their matches with 45 to 47 points.

Both Abdulkariem and Werlin said head coach Mark Madayag helped improve their golf games. “I think he really helped me improve my swing,” Werlin said. “Coach Mark was so supportive.”