The golf team tied for fifth out of eight schools in the Patriot League Championship hosted by its rival, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. The tournament spanned from Friday to Sunday at the Saucon Valley Country Club Grace Course.
The Maroon and White finished the tournament with a cumulative score of 905, after the team shot a 296, 307 and 302 in the first, second and third rounds, respectively. Additionally, junior Sean Saw finished fifth place individually, logging an overall score of 221, carding 70, 76 and 75 over the three rounds and receiving All-Patriot League First-Team honors.
“Having a patient mentality going into this tournament was really the key for me and us as a team,” said Saw, who shot five-over-par on the par-72, 7091 yard course. “We knew the course would be hard and minimizing mistakes was the biggest goal for us. Staying in it mentally and grinding out the basics could have saved us a couple of shots out there as a team.”
Junior Quint Dingledine carded a 226 after shooting a 76 and two 75s over the course of the three rounds, finishing tied for 15th, while sophomore Harry Dessel tied for 17th, with a total score of 227, and individual round scores of 76, 77 and 74.
Senior captain Carter Ablon procured an overall score of 234, shooting 77, 79 and 78, and tying for 36th place.
“Mental perseverance and constant practice are two of the biggest phrases that come to mind in terms of what we’ve done well,” Ablon said. “We’ve had some severe ups and downs over the course of the 2023-24 season, but with every knockdown, we’ve gone right back to work in practice and tried to clear our minds of the negatives.”
Two freshmen participants rounded out the scores for the Leopards. Winston Kelenc-Blank tied for 30th, and carded a 233 overall, with individual scores of 75, 79 and 79, and Hudson Pace mustered a 236 and tied for 42nd.
Reflecting on their championship performance, the team now looks to the offseason as a time to improve.
“We came into the season having finished last in the previous Patriot League Championship, so the goal was to improve throughout this season and use all other tournaments as learning opportunities and experiential opportunities to best set our guys up for success during this [championship],” Ablon said.
“We’ve improved throughout the whole year and, going into the summer and next season, we just need to keep getting a little better day by day,” Saw said.
Ablon also took some time to reflect on his experience as a member of the Lafayette golf team as his career as a Leopard comes to a close. His decision to walk onto the team his sophomore year turned out to be “one of the best things [he] could have ever done.”
“Being able to play a sport that I have so much love for during my time in college and doing it on such a competitive stage was some of the most fun that I will ever have,” Ablon said. “Along with just enjoying the ride, I met some of my closest friends from the team and made relationships that will last a lifetime.”
Disclaimer: Assistant Sports Editor Grace Sanborn ’25 is a member of the golf team. She did not contribute writing or reporting.
