Another year, another successful season. 

The girls golf team emerged undefeated in the West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) for the fifth consecutive year, making it to the Central Coast Championships (CCS). After placing second place in CCS, where they lost to the defending CCS and NorCal champion Valley Christian, the team secured a spot at the Northern California (NorCal) Championships. Although they placed sixth, the team had a remarkable run this season not only in league but also in regional tournaments. 

“I think we should be really proud of our achievements because we went through a lot trying to get there,” team captain Jessica Zhou (12) said. “I’m really glad that everything happened the way it did, and it offered a lot of moments for bonding.” 

However, this year’s CCS was unlike any other, with the team competing in pouring rain and 40 mile per hour winds, which challenged their mental toughness and teamwork. 

“[At] CCS all of us were soaking wet, including our bag[s],” Khanhlinh Tran (10) said. “So I feel like that was a really big challenge at CCS.”

Allison Yang (10) mentions how the rain served as an incentive for the team to try and finish as quickly as possible while still giving their best. With this mindset, they pushed through the unforeseen conditions they faced. 

“Golf is really a mental game, and often when you overthink things you tend to mess up and get down on yourself,” Allison said. “But when it was raining, it was hard to think about anything else except for trying to finish and get out of the rain, so I guess we were able to stay on task.” 

Jessica recalls the team’s resilience, which differentiated them from many other participating schools, and noted how preparations and practices beforehand helped them go into CCS with an overall positive mindset.

“A lot of girls that day from other schools — they genuinely just gave up,” Jessica said. “There were some withdrawals [and] there were some people that just barely finished. The reason why our team stayed so stable was because we had already prepared ourselves for it mentally.”

The supportive energy and chemistry within the team played a big role in this year’s successful season. Jessica cherishes the family-like environment of the team and the close bonds formed between under and upperclassmen.

“The sheer amount of hours we spend with one another is a huge thing that I [will] genuinely miss, because that’s the environment you can’t find anywhere else,” Jessica said. “Being so naturally comfortable with each other without caring about grade levels — that’s just not a thing [outside of the golf team]. This kind of community is hard to find because it’s different from a regular friendship group.”

Head girls golf team coach Ie-Chen Cheng is grateful for the unity that the team provides, as every member, along with herself, is on the same page about their current and future goals, which allows them to attain success.

“Every minute that we have together, we definitely cherish the time,” Cheng said. “[You]’re not just winning for yourself, you’re winning as a team. You have a shared vision and a shared goal. I think that’s what makes it so special.”

In addition, a significant factor to the team’s success is each girl’s skill and effort. While they practice throughout the season, all the members consistently play outside of Harker as well, setting themselves apart from other teams who may have fewer star players.

“They’ve spent so many hours and hours upon hours perfecting this skill,” Cheng said. “It’s a really hard sport and to be as good as these girls are takes years and years of practice. They started at a very young age, and this grind is 20 hours a week of just practicing.”

With their eyes already on the next season, the team looks forward to repeating their success with their aim to qualify for the State Championships in the fall of next year. 

“The girls are pumped,” Cheng said. “They are going to start working out [and] start playing with each other during the offseason. They are very excited for the future.”