Westside’s young golf team looks ahead to 2023

The Westside girls golf team competed at the NSAA State Tournament on October 11th at the Norfolk Country Club and finished in 11th place. The girls struggled on day one and managed to come back to a respectable finish. 

Westside head coach Jered Hellman expressed what he felt about the team’s performance at State. 

“Making the state tournament was a huge accomplishment for our team,” Hellman said. “I was really proud of the girls for how they battled at the state tournament. The course played tough and combined with the high winds it was tough scoring conditions. Our goal was to improve on our 12th place seed going in, and we accomplished that goal finishing 11th.  The experience these girls gained playing as a team at State is going to pay huge dividends next season and beyond.”

Junior Carly Bea Brown also explained how she felt about her performance after the state tournament.

“My performance at State wasn’t what I wanted it to be,” Brown said. “It just gave me something to look forward to and to work for, for my senior year.” 

Coach Hellman talked about the team’s overall progression this season.

“I am very pleased with our growth this season.  We had a record number of girls tryout for the team, and all of the girls worked really hard,” Hellman said, “[They] were coachable and did everything we asked.  Our skill level program has greatly improved this year and that is always the goal. “

Brown also spoke on how she felt about her progress throughout the season.

“ I was very happy to see the progress I made this year, especially since I have been working so hard.” Brown said, “It was nice to look back and see all of the PR’s I had or just really tricky shots I pulled off.”

Coach Hellman expressed what he sees to expect in the 2023-2024 season.

“I am so excited for the future of Westside girls golf. Our entire jv and varsity teams will be returning next season.  Our expectations for next season are really high, our goal is to be a top five golf team in the state.” Hellman said, “The girls and I know the work and dedication it will take to reach that goal, and we are ready for the challenge.”

Brown also talked about what she expects from herself and the next year on the fairways. 

“Next year we will have a really good team with some young players with lots of talent so expect us to be up in the running as a team.” Brown said, “Also expect from me as an individual to improve my score even more and be up in the top 10 individuals in the state.”

The girls golf team will be back next year with an experienced team and hope to improve their placement at state championships.