The Branford golf team was actually quite close to attaining championship gold on both the conference and state courses with a relatively young squad. The Hornets have set themselves up very well for the road ahead to that path to prominence by having several underclassmen both step into and embrace the varsity spotlight.

Head Coach Jen Kohut and Branford competed at the SCC Championships on May 28 at the Farms Country Club, finishing seventh out of nine clubs with a tally of 321. Xavier and Notre Dame-West Haven shared the conference crown with matching scores of 314. The Hornets then procured a sound showing at the Division II State Championships on June 4 at Stanley Golf Course by cracking the top 5 at fifth with a cumulative stroke score of 331–just 28 swings off the championship pace set by Tolland at 303.

Additionally for the regular season, the Hornets swung to an 8-6 record overall. Kohut explained that the boys certainly hit both of their preseason targets by finishing not far off the winning pace of both the SCC and state crowns. They additionally garnered great experience and grasp of the game rather quickly for a youthful bunch.

“Our goals were to qualify for the SCC and state tournaments. We qualified for both as the No. 7 seed in the SCC and the fourth seed in Division II for the state championship,” said Kohut. “This was a relatively young team, as we graduated six seniors last year. The group worked diligently on team chemistry on and off the course.”

The boys also had a tandem of signature victories and tight losses this campaign, as Branford knocked off Shelton twice while additionally taking a close three-stroke defeat to Amity. The Hornets knocked off the Gaels by three strokes with a 167-170 triumph for the first occasion on April 24, prior to a more convincing 164-181 decision later in the year on May 16.

Following a rough 0-3 start to regular season match play with losses to the SCC co-champions along with Guilford, Branford responded with resilience by rattling off five consecutive victories over the likes of Shelton, Hand, Hamden, North Haven, and East Haven between April 24 and May 2.

The Hornets did boast one of its rookies as an All-SCC Team member with freshman Sungjin Lee. Lee collected an impressive 3.9 stroke differential for his campaign in earning the All-Conference recognition.

The Hornets’ two lone seniors also served as captains with Joe Robinson and Patrick Lalonde. Throughout their respective tenures with Branford, each young man has improved their swings and stroke totals. But more importantly, each of them saw grand personal growth by becoming trusting, responsible, and accountable leaders.

“Joe Robinson and Patrick Lalonde were great leaders for the team,” said Kohut. “Joe and Patrick have both grown as golfers since their freshman year, and Joe was our No. 2 golfer all season. He put up consistent numbers every round he played. Joe finished with a 4.5 differential for the year.”

At states for Division II, Lee led the pack for Branford with a round of 80 to finish tied for 15th among individual performances. Robinson tied for 17th place with an 81, sophomore Luca Dilegge tied for 23rd place with an 83 for his score, junior Antonio Esperti nabbed an 87 (good enough to tie for 40th), and fellow junior Michael Loomis tied for 58th (round of 92).

The future looks as bright as the springtime sun when it comes to looking ahead to 2025 for Kohut and the Hornets. The program graduates only a duo of players, but they also return a plethora of players that saw plenty of rounds and reps in match play.

“Newcomers Michael Loomis, a junior, Luca DiLegge, a sophomore, Sungjin Lee, a freshman, plus returning players in [junior] Antonio Esperti and [sophomore] Chase Nixon, had a big impact this year,” said Kohut. “Those players, along with Joe Robinson and Patrick LaLonde, rounded out our top 6. We also had new players with [juniors] Dylan Bosworth, Max Voets, [freshman] Will Taranto, [sophomore] Sal Brancati, and [freshman] Cayson Dunn on the squad. The team will do well next year, as we graduate only two seniors.”

The 2024 Branford roster was comprised of seniors LaLonde, Robinson; juniors Bosworth, Esperti, Loomis, Voets; sophomores Brancati, Nixon; plus freshmen Luca DiLegge, Dunn, Lee, and Taranto.

2024 Branford Golf Team Regular Season Results

April 15: Xavier 164, Branford 169

April 16: Notre Dame-West Haven 157, Branford 169

April 23: Guilford 161, Branford 175

April 24: Branford 167, Shelton 170

April 25: Branford 171, Hand 176

April 29: Branford 161, Hamden 186

April 30: Branford 174, North Haven 190

May 2: Branford 166, East Haven 215

May 6: Amity 154, Branford 157

May 7: Cheshire 155, Branford 163

May 13: Branford 166, Lyman Hall 190

May 15: Guilford 155, Branford 160

May 16: Branford 164, Shelton 181

May 22: Branford 161, Morgan 172