Girls golf: Stevenson shatters school record, heads into postseason with momentum
The Stevenson girls golf team has people seeing triple.
The Patriots recently had 3 players each shoot 2-under par in a North Suburban Conference dual victory over Lake Zurich at Countryside’s Prairie course in Mundelein — helping establish a new 9-hole team record.
Stevenson shot a 138, which was 6 strokes under par at Countryside Prairie and broke the old school record by a whopping 5 strokes.
Juniors Victoria Shao and Campbell Ray and sophomore Emma Fiocchi, all returning state finals participants from the 2024 Class 2A state runner-up team, each shot 2-under 34s in the 138-177 win over Lake Zurich, while sophomore Lily Wang rounded out the Patriots’ scoring with an even-par 36.
Senior Sophia Joeng (37) and junior Nanette Song (38) made it six Stevenson players appearing in the clubhouse with sub-40 rounds.
“What makes this team so good is its dedication and time commitment to getting better each day,” Stevenson coach Emma Degen said. “They are never satisfied and always push each other to get better. The thing that makes this team special is how they do it together. If they are practicing or playing, they are always calling each other first. My favorite thing about them is their desire to do it for each other.”
The win against Lake Zurich and Wednesday’s win against Lake Forest at Crane’s Landing at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort moved the Patriots to a perfect 10-0 and 5-0 in North Suburban action. Stevenson also won the Glenbard East invitational earlier this season, shooting a 298 for 18.
“I feel like this is similar to last season,” Shao said. “We support each other through thick and thin, good shot and bad shot. That’s why we stand out. The dynamic is really good.”
Ray has observed a Patriots team that has made improvements across the board during the off-season.
“We have a lot of players who have improved,” she said. “It’s great to have such a close-knit team with similar games. We all have very good parts of our games that come in handy. For instance, our short game is very good as a team.”
Degen pointed out Stevenson’s top seven players all are averaging 39 or less for nine as the calendar marches toward the postseason.
“It’s really cool to see a group of girls in an individual sport come together and play as one,” she said.
Ray took 15th in the state as a sophomore while Joeng was 22nd and Shao tied for 24th. Fiocchi and Wang each played a round in the state tournament.
Stevenson finished 23 strokes behind champion Glenbrook North in the Decatur 2A finale. Glenbrook North graduated two of its three Top 10 individual state finishers, while individual champion Martha Kuwahara (5-under at state) was a junior in 2024 and is committed to University of Michigan. Stevenson had beaten Glenbrook North the week before by 4 strokes to win a Class 2A sectional title.
“I would say last year was a huge motivator because it was a small disappointment,” Ray explained. “We believe in ourselves that this year we can come back and do it. We know how to handle pressure. We have been in a bunch of pressure situations. We’ll be able to use those past experiences and hopefully play as good as possible and win a state title.”
Shao said the topic of a state title is, indeed, on the team’s mind as it now prepares for next week’s NSC tournament at Bittersweet in Gurnee.
“We want to win state this year,” she said. “If we try our hardest and live in the moment we currently have and take advantage of the opportunities we currently have for ourselves, we can achieve our goals. We have all pushed ourselves hard and are extra motivated this year.”