Mount is loaded up for ‘04 golf campaign

by TOM UTESCHER

Although the remnants of “Frances” curtailed their activities somewhat last week, the golfers of Mount St. Joseph Academy are off to a promising start this season.

Their lone setback thus far occurred in a scrimmage with the boys’ team from Lansdale Catholic, and against their own gender the Magic have posted easy victories over Villa Joseph Marie (269-384) and Nazareth (243-320).

The Athletic Association of Catholic Academies field has expanded from five teams to seven this fall, but with all but two members of last year’s squad returning, the Mount is well-equipped to defend its 2003 championship.

Both current senior Nicole Kouch and sophomore Victoria Arena fared well in postseason play last autumn. Finishing sixth in District 1, Kouch was just one place shy of qualifying for the state tournament. Arena made the cut, and the freshman went on to place 25^th in the state.

The other two seniors on the Magic roster for 2004 are Courtney Hain and Angela Koerper, and the latter is a team co-captain along with Kouch. Both captains have younger siblings on the team, in fact Kouch has two: Jaclyn, a junior, and Christen, a sophomore. The younger Koerper, Christina, is an 11^th grader. Another veteran of the 2004 squad is junior Moira Bryers.

Although the season is just starting, coach Tom Casey reports that Nicole Kouch has already carded a 39 and Arena has shot a 40 at Whitemarsh Valley (the Mount’s home course), where the front nine is a par 37 for women.

“All of the girls have been playing over the summer and they have a great work ethic,” he says. “They’re very dedicated and they put in a lot of practice time.”

He sums up “We had five girls make it into the district tournament last season, and we may have seven or eight who are good enough to do it this year.”