On Sept. 16, the George Mason High School golf team defeated Clark Country to go 9-0 in district play, capturing the Bull Run district title.
The match was a close contest with Mason edging the Eagles by six strokes. The final tally was 172-178. The Mustangs were led by junior Michael Wolfe, with a low score of 40. Rounding out the three low scores for the Mustangs were junior Evans Mandes, who shot a 42, senior Chris Ann, who was one stroke behind with a 43, and senior Drew Davies rounding out the scoring with a 47.
Two days later, the Mustangs played the Washington & Lee High School Generals in a non-district match. This was not as close, with the Mustangs besting the Generals by 34 strokes, 174-208. The Mustangs were led again by Michael Wolfe, with a score of 40. Next was Michael Dunning with a 42. Seniors Michael Ward and Mandes both shot a 46, which rounded out the four lowest scores for the Mason team.
Thus far, it has been an exciting season for the Mustangs, marking the third consecutive district title for the Mason golfers. With one match left to play, Mason’s golfers will have gone undefeated for the third consecutive year, winning 28 matches without a low.
During this winning streak, the Mason golf team has had two different coaches. Coach Bill Broderick led last year’s championship season, but has moved on to coach basketball at Elon University. This year, the Mason golfers are led by first-year coach Chris Carrico and Assistant Coach Steve Showalter. Coach Carrico has made a smooth transition for the Mason faithful. “I have had three different coaches since I started playing on the Mason golf team when I was a freshman, and I’m very glad to have Coach Carrico as my coach for my last year playing,” said Davies.
This season, the Mason golf team’s depth stood out: while Mandes led the team with the lowest average, an 86.6 on an 18-hole scale; Michael Dunning, Wolfe and Davies each had the low round for the team twice in match play.
This year’s team consists of seniors Davies, Ward, Ann, Josh Brew, Reid Mene and Tim Hillegas; juniors Mandes, Dunning, Wolfe and freshmen Ben Tourkin and Genevieve Jordan.
Overall, Mason had four different players turn in the low score this season. Davies and Dunning rotated between the number one spot for the Mason golfers this season. The low rounds of the year have been turned in by Mandes, 80 (18 holes) and Dunning, 40 (9 holes).
Coach Carrico described his expectations for the season, and how he hoped to continue the Mason winning streak. “Before the outset of this season, I was well aware of the successes the Mustang Golf Team had experienced over the last couple of years. With several returning players from last year’s team I knew that expectations were going to be high. I was excited for the opportunity to become a part of a winning tradition and be as good as we could be,” said Coach Carrico.
The Mustangs will finish up the regular season against Manassas Park at Mason’s home course, the Fairfax National Golf Course. The following week, the team will participate in the Bull Run District Tournament at Jackson Chase Golf Club in Middleton, Va.
With the league crown in hand, the Mustangs are automatically qualified for the Region B playoffs held this year at Manor Hill Golf Club in Farmville, Va. The Mustangs are confident going into post-season play, said Coach Carrico. “We have three juniors and three seniors playing in the district tournament so experience is on our side, but I want us to get off to a good start so there can be lots of confidence going into Regionals.” Mason looks to advance to the State tournament, which would be a first for its golf team.
