Courtesy of Brian Beard

Last weekend, the women’s golf team opened up its season at the Polar Bear Shootout tournament hosted at the Brunswick Country Club. The team competed against other NESCAC and New England teams, placing fourth overall.

Along with its overall fourth-place finish, the team established a new program record at the tournament. Head Coach Stuart Cady attributes this accomplishment to the persevering mindsets of the players.

“They’ve really focused on their individual process during the week and are working hard on drills and working on mindsets when we are playing. They just keep putting in good work and seeing what happens in tournaments. And they are seeing the rewards of their great work,” Cady wrote in an email to the Orient.

The team has been training hard to start the season strong. The Polar Bears have been doing team lifts on campus and much of their other training at the Brunswick Country Club. The team will be playing Middlebury College at the George Phinney Classic this weekend, Williams College the following weekend at the Williams Invitational and Hamilton College at the Hamilton Fall Invitational on October 5 and 6.

Muzi Wei ’27 said she is excited to focus on the sport and spend a lot of time this semester away from campus, whether it’s for training or playing in tournaments.

“We have very intense practices, and we’re going to be gone every weekend, which I’m actually excited about.… I’m really excited about traveling across New England, seeing all the different schools,” Wei said.

Cady stressed the importance of team culture and hard work both on and off the course.

“The team has done a really nice job building culture and traditions each year and are really starting to see all the great work of previous teams and leaders paying off. Our goals this year are similar to most years: create an awesome team environment, dominate in the classroom, enjoy our time with the team, focus on our process on the course, put in the good work and see what happens,” Cady wrote.

Shivani Schmulen ’26 talked about the rising pressures of the game and the attitude she and the team have adopted as they head into the new season.

“Everyone’s coming in with some positive energy [and] working really hard in practice.… I’m also really proud of the team and really looking forward to these next few tournaments and even the spring,” Schmulen said. “Women’s golf is getting more and more competitive by the day, and it’s really exciting to see all the new talent … take the game forward.”