Pair of Riverhead girls golfers make history on the links

Since the inception of the Riverhead girls golf program in 2010, no player has ever qualified for the New York State tournament. Though they’ve come close — even missing out by just one stroke — nobody has been able to break through. That all changed last Tuesday at Middle Island Country Club.

Not one, but two Riverhead golfers qualified for the New York State championship at Wild Wood Country Club in Rush, N.Y., on June 8. Angelina Gust, a senior, and Madison Marshak, a freshman, are the first Riverhead girls to qualify, finishing third and seventh, respectively, in the Suffolk County tournament.

“After how they finished last year, I knew they both had a shot at qualifying this year,” Riverhead head coach Steve Failla said. “We knew there weren’t any dramatic changes that needed to be made. We’ve been working more on the mental part of the game and the approach than anything else. These girls have worked their butts off, and it’s showing now.”

A year after finishing 10th and 11th, just missing out on the top nine placing to make it to states, both girls came out with a determination to get through to the championships.

“For me, it has always been nerves,” Gust said. “This year I was finally calm. I focused on staying in the moment and enjoying it. I was confident out there. Especially since it’s my senior year. This was my last shot at this. It was something I wanted to do since I started golfing.”

Gust posted an 85 the first day at the county tournament, which instantly put her right among the top of the competitors. But that didn’t ease her mind.

“I’ve had good rounds before,” Gust said. “In this tournament, it’s about being consistent, and I knew it didn’t matter where I was placing after day one. I needed to have a good day two.”

Down the stretch, the senior really locked, notching two birdies in the last handful of holes. In the back nine holes, Gust scored 39, which equaled her best nine-hole round this season. Her 81 on the scoreboard for the second round secured third place in the tournament.

“I had a good feel about where I was on the second day,” Gust said. “I just had to manage the stress, and I was happy when it was all over. I was super happy with how I played.”

In the group just behind her was Marshak. Though they weren’t playing together, they kept an eye on one another, quietly rooting for the other to play well.

Even though Marshak is only a freshman, she’s been on this stage before. She’s been on varsity since seventh grade, and last year, she finished in 10th place and was named the alternate for states. One less stroke over the two rounds of play would have earned her ninth place and a trip to states.

“I practiced so much last summer to prepare for this,” Marshak said. “I did a lot of tournaments. I just worked on scoring and tried to improve all parts of my game. I came into county’s confident this year, and that confidence is everything in golf.” After shooting an 88 in the first round, Marshak cut strokes off her game in the final round, registering an 84. A string of pars and a 40 in the final nine helped secure her a spot. “I mean, that’s how you finish a tournament,” Failla said. “A 39 and a 40 are you kidding me? The best golfers show up on the final day, and I can confidently say we have two of the best in the county right here in Riverhead.”

Gust and Marshak will join fellow Blue Wave Colby Baran, who qualified for states on the boy’s side in the fall.

“Only 18 high school golfers in Suffolk County are going to states,” Failla said. “Three of them are from Riverhead. Let that sink in. Our community supports us, the golf courses around here support us and our studentathletes have stepped up to the plate. This is a big step for us as a program, and we hope to continue building on this success for years to come.”