Naperville North welcomes the five DuPage Valley Conference schools to Phillip’s Park for the annual DVC girls golf championship. Metea Valley enters in the driver’s seat after a perfect record in regular-season matchups, but Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley remain in the hunt. By the end of the round, the Mustangs take home the conference crown for a second straight year with Waubonsie in second and Neuqua in third. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
The Mustangs start strong
The Mustangs have been thriving thanks to a young but talented lineup. Freshman Mahi Syngol chips onto the dance floor on the 14th hole. She records an 85 in her first DVC tournament, finishing just outside the top ten.
On the same green, Waubonsie Valley senior Siya Sohal putts for birdie. She runs the ball right to the cup, but it stubbornly stays just wide. The Warrior shoots a 77 in her final DVC tourney.
Naperville North senior Mia Kuruvilla leads her team as she has all season long, finishing with an 83, which puts the Huskie in the top eight individuals.
Her teammate Kylie Kiselyk nearly chips in the shot of the day from off the green, but the ball settles an inch from the cup. Ally Andrews has a solid back nine, finishing with a 91 for the host school.
Impressive shots on display on the 16th hole
Metea sophomore Maya Shah is in the hunt for the individual title thanks to shots like her second on the par-five 16th hole. Inches from an albatross, the ball slides just past the hole. An incredible shot from the Mustang.
Another talented young DVC golfer is Naperville Central freshman Ahanna Patel. She sinks a tricky long-range putt. That helps the Redhawk to a 78, tied for the third-best score in the tournament. Teammate Alexa Miller finishes in the top 15 with a 90.
Neuqua Valley is near the top of the team scoreboard late in the day. Senior Malar Anand is a big reason why. She wraps a par putt around the cup and in as part of her round of 78.
Waubonsie Valley senior Mina Shyam has been one of the area’s top golfers for years, and she finds herself in the hunt for the DVC individual medal. She drains a long birdie putt on 16 and matches teammate Siya Sohal with a 77 as the Warriors are in the hunt for the top team score.
Neuqua Valley finishes in third place as a team with a score of 333. Anand leads the way with her third-place individual finish, but fellow Wildcats Aditi Reddy, Suchen Liu and Ellie Rogers also score well as Reddy tallies an 87 and Rogers and Liu crack the top ten with matching 84s.
Metea Valley looks to put the finishing touches on the team championship. Maya Shah makes up for a shaky performance on the 16th green by drilling a 20-foot putt for birdie on the very next hole. Shah rounds out the top five with her score of 79.
The Mustangs close out the team title thanks to great days from the young core. Freshman Gigi Sereenen finishes just behind Shah with an 80 while her big sister Oyhai shoots an 83. Mahi Syngol, Ellie Buckland and Ashley Jenner all finish under 90 for the black and gold.
Shyam vs Sohal in an all-Waubonsie playoff
The individual title comes down to a playoff between longtime friends Mina Shyam and Siya Sohal from Waubonsie. Playing the 16th hole to start the playoff, Shyam putts for eagle from the fringe and brilliantly leaves her putt just a foot short of the cup.
Sohal needs to make her 12-foot birdie to stay alive, but her attempt slides past the hole, giving Shyam the chance to close things out with a tap-in birdie. The Warrior senior sinks it to win the individual medal as the teammates share a hug after helping Waubonsie to a second-place team finish with Nitya Thapar and Slyssa Straub also shooting 90 or better.
Metea Valley wins a second consecutive DVC title
After winning the DVC crown for the first time last fall, Metea Valley proves it was no fluke, winning a second straight conference championship with a score of 327.
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