8/16/2012 - West Side Leader
     

BATH — New Revere High School girls golf head coach Moira Alfieri said one of the most “exciting” things she has seen from her golfers so far is their commitment to the game.

“During their offseasons, these athletes took the initiative to prepare for the 2012 season with practice sessions at the range, playing with fellow Revere High School girl golfers and private lessons and clinics,” she said. “Juniors Laura Leventhal and Mandy Pavlich and sophomore Audrey DeLong went so far as to compete in local tournaments and junior leagues.”

The 2012 Revere girls golf team will feature two seniors: Sami House, who returns from last year’s squad, and Erin Peiffer, who is back on the team after taking a year off from the sport.

“Sami has been playing since she was in the ninth grade, and she’s a great golfer. She’ll probably be one of our top three golfers this year. She’s playing well,” the coach said. “Erin played her freshman and sophomore years and did well. She took her junior year off and has now decided she wants to be on the team this year. I am expecting big things from her.”

According to Alfieri, Leventhal has stood out as a leader on the team.

“Laura is another junior that has stood out incredibly over the summer. She has been playing golf for quite some time,” the coach stated. “She actually had a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at a Northern Ohio Junior PGA tournament at the Country Club of Hudson in June. It was a Par 3. That was a great accomplishment.”

Alfieri said Leventhal has been mentoring freshman Leah Weisburn.

“Leah is one of Laura’s protégés. Laura has just groomed her along,” the coach said. “Leah is doing great. She is definitely just getting started with the game, but she has such a level head. She is able to focus in and do as I instruct her to do.”

Pavlich has been another key player for the squad, Alfieri said.

“Through tryouts, Mandy Pavlich has been our lowest-scoring golfer,” the coach said. “She is a great student and she has participated in summer leagues. She’s just a real level-headed, focused golfer. She’s very calm on the golf course.”

Two players playing on the varsity team this season are sisters: junior Lannie Babak and freshman Katherine Babak.

“Lannie could be [in the] top five or six this year. She could be a great player; she just doesn’t yet have that drive to be great that some of the other players have shown. I expect her to develop as this season moves on, though,” Alfieri said. “Katherine can really hit the ball. She’s very strong and she makes good contact. She has the potential to be a really, really strong golfer.”

The coach said she also has high hopes for freshman Alyssa Nicholas.

“She is going to give the juniors and seniors a run for their money,” she said. “She has a great swing. She’s a tiny little thing, but she’s definitely a player. I’m definitely expecting her to play well. She is showing huge potential.”

The team’s final key golfer is DeLong.

“She’s a player, too. She’ll do great,” Alfieri said. “She has a great swing, but she just needs to get her scores a little lower. She played [junior varsity] last year, and this year she’ll play varsity.”

The 2012 Revere girls golf season got under way Aug. 11 at the Kent Roosevelt Invitational.

“After that, we will compete in three 18-hole tournaments before school starts,” Alfieri said. “The Suburban League single matches begin Aug. 21. Their schedule is full, and I am confident these golfers will prepare and be ready to compete at the level that is expected of them.”

The first-year coach said this year’s team has “so much potential.”

“These nine girls are strong and can smash the ball down the fairway. Our goal, and what we will be spending a lot of practice time on, is putting and chipping,” she said. “But these girls are talented, experienced and eager to compete. It’s a pleasure to be with them. I’m loving it.”

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