Garden City Maroon continues dominance

The Garden City Maroon girls golf team completed yet another undefeated season last week, finishing 10-0 in Conference II for its 11th straight conference championship. The team has won 106 straight conference matches with its last loss coming in 2003.
After losing three of his top golfers to graduation, coach Reid Sclafani wasn’t sure how this year’s team would fare. The girls exceeded his expectations, winning eight of their ten matches with scores of 9-0.
“I’m proud of the girls because we lost so many strong girls from last year,” Sclafani said. “This group really stepped up and they were very consistent all year.”
This year’s team was led by junior Sam Sessa, who went undefeated and had a match-average of 39.
“She’s made great improvements in her short game and brought her average down a couple strokes from last year,” Sclafani said. “Her sights are set on playing her best rounds at counties and states. If she plays the best she can, there aren’t that many who can beat her.”
Junior Brittany Burke was a consistent number 2 with a match-average of 43.
“She’s a pure athlete,” Sclafani said. “She shows up, plays hard and puts down a very good score. She has such a natural swing that she can go out and consistently score well.”
Senior captains Nicole Miesemer and Mackenzie Horl brought veteran leadership and experience to help the younger players.
“The younger girls watch them play and they are really good role models for them,” Sclafani said. “They’re both very consistent players who are constantly working to improve their games.”
Add in freshmen Isabel Klatt and Alana McAndrews, who consistently shot in the low-40s, and Garden City Maroon was nearly impossible to beat.
“They really want to be here, so they put in the work during their free time and their game has improved,” Sclafani said. “They added more consistency to the team, which is what we hoped for and that’s why the conference season went the way it did.”
But despite their past success, the girls are only focused on the next task at hand which is to win its eighth straight Nassau title and compete for the Long Island Championship.
“We take everything one step at a time,” Sclafani said. “They’re not thinking about what we’ve done, they’re thinking about what we have to do next.”
Still, it’s hard not to look back and revel at the team’s accomplishments.
“It feels great for me to see the girls keep being so successful,” Sclafani said. “The younger girls keep progressing and it keeps the team strong. It’s good to see that their work pays off and they play at their best when it matters. I’m really proud of them and I’m glad that they were able to keep the streak going.”