All-Gender Golf ended the season strong, beating Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) on both the Varsity and JV sides. The Varsity team won 10.5-5.5 while JV won 5-1. This was the third time the teams faced off, and Andover came out victorious each time. On Monday, the girls team competed in the Pippy O’Connor Classic, winning Golf’s first-ever Girls’ Golf New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Championship.
Going into the match, the team felt confident and ready to cherish each moment with their teammates. Sophie Xu ’28 commented on the team’s mindset heading into the game and the experience of the last game of the season.
“My mindset was that I wanted to win, like any other match. It was our last [Andover/Exeter] (A/E) match and the last match of the season. It was more pressure as we wanted to win the last match we would play with the seniors. Also, I was playing with Heyon Choi ’25, and another part was to have fun and take it all in because it’d be the last match I’d be playing with the team, the last match I’d be playing with the Seniors,” said Xu.
The team had a previous lead in the series, leading to confidence. Sean Niu ’25 commented on this year’s differences in the matchup from prior years.
“We had a 5.5 to 2.5 lead on Exeter in the series. We were confident because Exeter is weaker this year than in previous years. We weren’t too worried that we would not pull through with the win, and we ended up doing so,” Niu said.
The team ended the season strong, with only one person winning their matchup. Heyon Choi ’25 highlighted a teammate, Zach Fedele ’26, for his growth over the season.
Choi said, “Many people on the team would agree with me, but one of our players, Zach Fedele, stands out to me the most. He didn’t win his match, but he deserves a huge shout-out on how much he has improved over the season. He has a fun, optimistic mindset, and he’s been playing consistently. He’s been pulling his weight and winning at the Varsity level. He has won all of his matches, except for his match yesterday. I’ve been so impressed with how he has grown and improved. This is his first year at Andover, his first year on the team, and I won’t be here next year, but I’m excited to see how he becomes an even better player.”
After beating their rival, Andover found themselves unable to fully celebrate since Exeter forgot to bring the trophy. Choi commented on the missing trophy and how the team has much to cherish, even without a trophy.
“In our match against Exeter, we usually give out two awards. One is given to the team that wins the most points, and the other is given to the player on either team who shoots the lowest score. That is when we count stroke play, which we didn’t have yesterday. Obviously, Andover won yesterday, and we were all bummed but amused to learn that Beetle, the coach from Exeter, had forgotten to bring the trophy, which he had also forgotten to bring last year. I found this funny. I’ve been looking forward to holding the trophy with my teammates this time, not just the girls. Our team will do well and secure a win again next year. I’m confident in that, and I hope that next time, we will have a trophy in our hands to mark this great memory. For now, we have so much to remember even without that trophy. We have such valuable connections to the game,” said Choi.
All-Gender Golf ended the season with a record of 13-3-1, ending the season strong with a convincing win against rival Exeter and their NEPSAC Championship.
Editor’s Note: Heyon Choi ’25 was Executive Digital Editor for The Phillipian, vol. CXLVII.
