Cougars’ Gonzalez and Pace headline the DLN All Area Girls’ Golf Team
DLN All Area Girls Golf
First Team
SILVANA GONZALEZ, Downingtown East – A senior co-captain, Gonzalez was the Ches-Mont runner-up and placed eighth in districts and 15th at states. Her nine hole (39) and 18-hole (76) averages were outstanding, and she has committed to play college golf at East Tennessee St. “Silvana fell in love with the game and dedicated herself to improving following her freshman year,” said her coach Matt Grinwis.
MIA PACE, Downingtown East – The winner of the Hershey Invitational, Pace was third in the Ches-Mont Championship and 22nd at districts. A junior, she averaged 40 in nine-hole events and 80 for 18 holes. “Mia was a strong leader for our team this season, both on and off the course,” said East coach Matt Grinwis. “She is always working to improve her game.”
SOPHIA DeSANTIS, West Chester Rustin – A mainstay for the Knights, DeSantis registered a scoring average of 40 during her junior season. She fired an 85 at Applecross Country Club to finish fourth at the Ches-Mont Championship and qualified for the district tournament.
KAITLYN FERRER, Kennett – A senior, Ferrer has been a two-time captain for the Longhorns. A first-team All-Ches-Mont pick, she had a nine-hole scoring average of 44, placed seventh in the Ches-Mont Tournament and qualified for the District 1 Tournament.
RILEY MULHERN, Villa Maria – The senior was the Hurricane’s top player and team captain. She placed third in AACA scoring, qualified for districts and was team MVP and AACA All Star. “Riley provided constant leadership, was resilient through difficult holes, and posted scores critical to each win this season,” said had coach Matt Poole.
RACHEL SCHUDA, Downingtown West – Just a sophomore, Schuda was the Whippets’ top scorer during the regular season, and led West with a 91 at the Ches-Mont Championship, good for a seventh place finish. She improved her scoring by seven strokes from a year ago. “Rachel, among others, will be a big part of the future of the Lady Whippets’ golf program,” said her coach Andrew Braun.
Second Team
LILY KOCHERSPERGER, Kennett, Fr.
MIRA PATEL, Unionville, Sr.
REAGAN WILSON, Unionville, Fr.
MALAINA DRUFFNER, Downingtown West, Fr.
CELIA BRESLIN, Downingtown West, Sr.
MIMI KAMBAYASHI, Conestoga, So.
SARINA PATEL, Unionville, So.
EMMA LEWIS, Downingtown West, soph.
JULIA NAWALANY, Downingtown East, Sophomore
Honorable Mention
Great Valley: Katelyn Grimes.
Downingtown East: Lucia Giuliano, Caitlin Woods.
Unionville: Fiona Avondolio.
Downingtown West: Lauren Leshko, Eva Simmons.
West Chester Rustin: Mina Benedetto.
West Chester Henderson: Maggie Barnes.
Avon Grove: Emma Rabeno.
Oxford: Angela Beadle.
Villa Maria: Ava McCaughan.
Conestoga: Brynne Mushin.
Coach of the Year: Joe Sudimak
As has been the case since first becoming head coach, Joe Sudimak has the Unionville girls’ golf program in contention for the Ches-Mont and District 1 championships each fall. In 2022 the Longhorns went 10-0 against league foes to capture the title. Overall, Unionville went 13-2 in dual meet action, and then finished fourth in districts. “I think he is a very good mental-game coach,” said Daily Local Player of the Year Mary Grace Dunigan. “He is very good at giving us confidence and motivation.” Sudimak is the only head coach the ’Horns have ever had, going back to the program’s inception in 2018.
