On Monday, October 30th, the Bishop O’Dowd High School Varsity Girls’ Golf team placed 5th at the North Coast Section Championships, capping off their fantastic season. On the way to NCS, the Girl Dragons started off strong, with freshmen Carina Mueller ‘27 and Leila Dinsmore ‘27 playing critical roles in wins. The Dragons continued their strong performances, finishing 8-3, with a win over their rivals; Alameda High School. Throughout the season, the Dragons continued to display their dedication, practicing and honing their skills with first-year head coach Zach Hile and assistant Jerome Chappel at Metropolitan Golf Links. The Dragons would again face Alameda High School in the WACC league championships, where the Girl Dragons would win 413-403. This win cements back-to-back WACC league wins for the girls and the seventh all-time for the Bishop O’Dowd girls golf team, as well as their first in the WACC league championships against Alameda High in 19 years.
The Dragons greatly benefited from the class of ‘25 standouts Chelsie Chin ‘25 and Sydney Silva ‘25. Chin, who her teammates describe as “just a phenomenal player,” tied for first at the NorCal Invitational at Bay View golf course. Silva, who recently committed to the University of Arizona to play golf, played a pivotal role in this team’s success, continuously recording low scores and being a leader on the team. These two stars were significant contributors for the Dragons, both of them shooting five under par at the league championships.
Silva believes the team “improved a lot throughout the year”, attributing this improvement to their “dedication to each other and the sport.” Silva notes the importance of sophomores Mackenzie Daniel ‘26, Ananya Prem ‘26, and Abby Yoon ‘26, serving as “crucial anchors” for the team and being a large part of this team’s success.
Silva ‘25 talks about their placement at NCS, saying, “Placing 5th in NCS definitely felt like big progress for us…We were just 13 strokes off from moving on as a team. I feel like with the work we put in during the offseason and over the summer and with our team chemistry, we definitely have high hopes for next season.”
As the Girl Dragons tee off into the offseason, we should all congratulate them on their immense success this year. Keep an eye out for the Girls’ Varsity Golf team in 2024, who are young, hungry, and are looking to shoot for the next level.
