Men's and Women's Golf Depart for Ivy League Championships

Both the Harvard men's and Harvard women's golf teams head into the weekend vying for the title at the Ivy League Championships.

In search of its first Ancient Eight Championship since 1975, the men’s team will travel to Galloway, N.J. this weekend to compete against the rest of the conference at the Galloway National Golf Club.

The women’s team, with three tournaments won this year, looks to continue its dominance in its bout this weekend at the Seaview Bay Course in N.J. and return the title to Harvard after a three year hiatus.

Especially given both team's recent success, the Crimson men and women will look to sweep the Ivy League Championships for the first time in program history.

The Ivy Championships seem to be arriving at an especially good time for men’s golf, as the team’s results have been improving over the two tournaments the team has played in the spring season thus far.

“We’re feeling really good, especially after the showing last week,” captain Tony Grillo said. “We just have to take it one stroke at a time.”

Two weekends ago, the Crimson placed fifth out of 14 in the Princeton Invitational behind Yale, Columbia, and Princeton.

Last weekend, Harvard finished second out of nine in the Century Intercollegiate behind leader the University of Rhode Island but ahead of all other Ivy League teams competing.

The Crimson will face stiff competition from many of the Ivy League squads, including the Bulldogs, who won the Championship last year at Galloway and the Princeton Invitational two weeks back.

The Lions and Tigers also finished ahead of Harvard in that tournament, and Dartmouth bested the Crimson last fall en route to winning the Philadelphia Big 5 Invitational (in which the University of Pennsylvania finished ahead of Harvard as well).

“No doubt we’re playing the best golf in my four years here," Grillo said. "But at the same time, the players are getting much better in the Ivy League; the competition is tighter. It’s pretty wide open. I don’t think there are only one or two teams who could take it.”

But Grillo also notes that the team has won tournaments in the spring in the past and have not fared well at the Ivy’s, like last season. In 2009, Harvard placed first in the tournament the week prior to the championship tournament but then sixth at Ivys.

For seniors Pollak and Grillo, it is their last chance to bring back a championship to the Crimson that has eluded it for 37 years.

“It would be huge, but we have to go out there and just play golf,” Grillo said. “But it would definitely be special.”

Although it could very well be the last tournament of the season, Grillo believes otherwise.

“Coming into the tournament we’re looking to extend our season,” he said. “We can look back once it’s over, but we don’t consider it our last tournament but rather one of our final ones."

The women’s team, on the other hand, travels to New Jersey this weekend to face off against the other Ivy teams. Coming off the momentum from its big win at Roar-EE Invitational at Columbia, the Crimson will attempt to secure the title as a sign of its successful season.

“The team has been building up to this point,” said junior Chloe Altchek, “Last week was a great confidence booster.”

Last year, Harvard won every tournament leading up to the Ivy League Championships. In the end, the women lost to Yale.

“We’ve come really close; it’s been sort of frustrating,” Altchek explained. “There’s always some luck involved, but I think we’ve done our very best at increasing our chances this year."

The team, aware of past disappointments, started early with their training and focus regimen.

“We put in a ton of effort starting early in the season in preparation for this,” Altchek said.  “The hours of practice are really starting to show.”

The Crimson will play as a team and individually, which they’ve had success in both this year. Freshman Tiffany Lim has regularly contributed to the team effort and has been recognized individually as one of the top ten freshmen in the country.

Winning three tournaments, the Roar-EE Invitational, and the Yale and Princeton Invitationals, the women are experienced in putting up good numbers and beating their Ivy League rivals.

The Crimson has been consistently dominant among other teams in its league, but it will take focus to get the win this weekend.

“It’s going to take everyone just thinking about our own game and not what’s at stake—putting our head down and focusing,” Altchek said.

The last time Harvard women won the Ivy League was in 2008, a memory in the seniors’ minds.

There is also a solid chance that this won’t be the last tournament for the team either. If the women win the Ivys, they move on to the NCAA championships in May.

The women recognize the importance of this tournament as a culmination of the team’s successful season. With the hopes of a perfect end to a winning season, Harvard will rely on its leadership and young talent.

“The whole season depends on one tournament,” Altchek said. “So we really have to be there for it.”

With momentum on their side, Harvard men and women will tee off against their leagues with the possibility of a sweep.