Last Tuesday the defending state champs, Xavier College Prep, won the 2024 Division I Girls Golf State Championship. The team claimed the school’s first state title for the 2024-2025 year.
Xavier golf remained undefeated this season, continuing its streak of not losing a match since 1996. That includes winning over 300 matches in 28 years.
Not only did the team come in first overall, but sophomore Alexis Lamadrid 27’ came in first individually.
Lamadrid’s road to victory was not an easy one. In the second round, she found herself in a tie for first place with Casteel’s Jordin Cowing. After falling behind 2 strokes, Lamadrid fought back, narrowly winning by only 1 point.
She recalls how golf is a mental game and how her teammates’ support makes a difference in her performance.
“Golf is more mental than anything, and you can have the game but not have the mental aspect,” Lamadrid explains.
She later expands on how this team and its coaches have been very motivational and united which helped her play better and continue to strengthen her mental game.
Head golf coach Tui Selvaratnam described the team as energetic and unified, always uplifting one another.
“They are just a fun and loving group of girls and that just made it so much easier to coach them,” Selvaratnam said.
She is especially proud of three of her juniors who competed in the state championship for the first time in their high school careers. “The three of them have worked super hard to be where they are,” stated Selvaratnam.
She further remarked that she takes great pleasure in molding her students to be the best athletes and people they can be. Sophia Pe Benito-Brooks 26’ is especially thankful for Selvaratnam’s guidance.
Pe Benito-Brooks is one of the three golfers who competed in the state championship for the first time. She stated that Selvaratnam always gets to know her players on a personal level, which helps her be a better coach, and she never puts pressure on the girls to uphold the Xavier golf dynasty. She just helps them realize how fortunate they are to go to a school with such an impressive program.
Pe Benito-Brooks points out that it is the girls who want to keep the streak alive, and that having a legacy to uphold motivates them to work harder.
This year’s victory reflects Xavier’s ongoing success in girls’ golf and it is a testament to the hardworking people who keep it alive.
With its record now boasting 39 state titles and an undefeated streak spanning decades, Xavier golf is more committed than ever to continue its excellence.
