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caption, page 2:
Winning Team
The Woodstock Academy girls’ golf team, from left: Coach Earl Semmelrock, Alex Vaida, Kaily Lachapelle, Mia Dang, Ciara MacKinnon and Maria Santucci. Photo contributed by Woodstock Academy. Photo by Earl Semmelrock.
Golfers win
Div. II state
championship
Mia Dang walked down the 18th fairway at the Farmington Woods Golf Club with one thought in mind.
“Just par it. There is nothing wrong with par,” the Woodstock Academy junior said was what she was thinking to herself.
She was leading by one stroke and even if Berlin’s Libby Dunn birdied the hole, Dang figured at worst there would be a playoff.
There was no need for one. Dunn topped her second shot and then topped her third, this one going into a hazard and finished with a triple bogey.
Dang got what she had planned for, a par, and that one hole provided the breathing room The Woodstock Academy needed to claim the inaugural CIAC Div. II girls’ golf championship by four strokes, 369-373, over Berlin.
Dang finished as individual state champion as she was medalist with an 8-over par 80.
The season didn’t come to an end for the junior until the weekend as she participated in the State Open Girls Golf Championship in Old Lyme June 19.
The state championship was a test.
It was the first time the girls had to play 18 holes all season and they did so in 90-plus degree temperatures.
“The course was really tough. It was hot as heck out there. The course was very hilly and it wasn’t easy for the girls to walk. It’s kind of unreal that we are riding home with a plaque and state championship medals. It’s a really good feeling. It validates what we do in terms of teaching the girls how to play and expecting them to play at a high level,” said coach Earl Semmelrock.
Dang and senior teammate Kaily Lachapelle, who both received Div. II All-State honors from the Connecticut High School Coaches Association, both agreed that they never thought the Centaurs would get as far as they did, never mind win a state title.
But Semmelrock had other thoughts. “I thought we had a chance if we showed up and played to the best of our ability and, guess what, it happened,” Semmelrock said.
It didn’t hurt that the Centaurs had Dang as the pacesetter.
“It was so helpful,” Lachapelle said. “I know our team could not have done it without her. I’m just so glad that she came to the Academy. She has already left her mark.”
Dang came to the Centaurs from St. Peter-Marian, a Worcester Catholic school that closed its doors.
She had played for that school’s boys’ team as a freshman.
The lesser lengths of playing from the red tees combined with playing against fellow females helped her game this season although it was difficult to judge just how good she was.
“I knew she was a good player, but she hadn’t been able to play against any high-level competition because she was the best player in the Eastern Connecticut Conference and we had two or three of the other four best players. So, she just got to play against them in practice, but in terms of a competitive tournament round, it was the first time I got to witness her playing ability and she really did well,” Semmelrock said.
Dang’s biggest attribute – her unflappability.
There was a girl in the foursome who was having a rough day and Semmelrock told Dang to try and block her opponent’s troubles out.
“She told me, ‘Don’t worry, coach. I do my own thing’ and she did,” Semmelrock said.
Lachapelle finished second for the Centaurs with a 92. “There were a few holes where I blew up and it was difficult recovering from that but I’m happy. I persevered for the team and that’s all that mattered,” Lachapelle said.
Fellow seniors Alex Vaida carded a 96 while Ciara MacKinnon finished with a 101 and Maria Santucci added a 113.
“We had three of the top 15 scorers. There was only one school who two players in the 80’s (Berlin), we had only one but backed that up with more consistent play from everyone else. Ciara did very well, had a couple of holes at the end which pusher her over 100, but she held tough. She told me that she stayed close to her Berlin opponent which is what I asked for. They all drank the Kool-Aid and did what they needed to do,” Semmelrock said.
Dang said, “As a team, it feels amazing and, individually, I worked really hard. The Berlin girl was really good. We battled through the entire 18 holes,” Dang said.
Berlin’s Dunn finished with an 81 to win the event by a stroke over Anna DeSanto of Hall High School. Dang finished with a 90.
“She played 14 holes in 4-over par and the other four she was 14-over on. That’s golf. It was absolutely a good experience for her,” Semmelrock said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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