The WW-P high schools threw themselves a party in the world of Mercer County golf this spring.
High School North senior Ben Perrine won the Mercer County Golf Tournament, while South’s Olivia Ling out-dueled long-time rival Jacquelyn Cai of North to win the girls’ MCT event. Cai, who was the defending champion, then came back to defeat Ling in the prestigious Peddie Tournament on a Match of Cards tie-breaker.
And then there is the Northern Knights girls’ team, which finished second in the MCT (the Pirates were third) and was ranked No. 3 in the state in early May.
Cai may be the top golfer for the North girls, but it has been the senior nucleus of Kaley Bohling, Ashley Desai, Shreya Jahagirdar, Maansi Jayade, and Ritu Vyas that has built the Knights into a state power.
“They are all four-year varsity players who have been the cornerstone to our success,” coach Tom Connolly said. “They have competed in over 200 matches and haven’t lost a match since sophomore year.”
The coach added that the girls take their excellence beyond the links and into the real world, where they are shooting well under par in their efforts to help others.
The girls have volunteered at eight Special Olympic gold events and organized a school supply and book fundraiser for an elementary school in Edison that was destroyed by a fire. They have also raised thousands of dollars for Cristie Kerr’s Birdies for Breast Cancer Charity
Being part of the generous group has had a positive effect on Cai. “I’m honored to play with such a great team,” she said. “They’ve been very supportive and so fun to be around. It just makes the game that much more fun. Helping keep score at Special Olympics is a very fun experience.”
The golf itself has been pretty enjoyable as well. Cai said the squad has a lot of depth and consistent scorers.
None more consistent than Cai, who is following in her brother Charles’ footsteps. Charles demolished the MCT record with a winning score of 65 in 2012 and is currently serving as captain in his senior year at Dartmouth.
“When I was younger I did not really like the game, but he encouraged me to practice and he would be my caddie and just guide me to make the right decisions, and I just fell in love with the game,” she said. “I started taking it seriously around 12 or 13.”
Cai kept the family tradition alive as a freshman by winning the MCT and then won the Central Jersey Girls Golf League tournament at Concordia Golf Course with a 1-over 36. Her efforts led North to the team championship, and both were hoping to defend those titles on May 12 back at Concordia.
This year an old rival got in the way of Cai at the MCT, as Pirate junior Ling birdied her last two holes at Mountain View Golf Course to shoot an 80. Lawrenceville’s Serena Chen (82) beat Cai out for second on a Match of Cards tie-breaker at the April 28 event.
“I struggled a bit that day,” Cai said. “But there’s always next year. And Olivia played well. She’s definitely a tough golfer.”
Which did not surprise Cai, as the two have known each other since their brothers played little league baseball together.
“It’s fun competition,” Cai said. “It’s a relaxed rivalry. I just take it as a friendly competition. We both play our own game, since that’s what we control.”
The two were at it again on May 3, as they tied for low score with 78 at the Peddie “Swing Against Cancer” Invitational. Cai won on a Match of Cards, which was decided by the low score on the course’s toughest handicap hole. The tournament consisted of both WW-P schools along with some outstanding prep schools.
“I was keeping her score but I wasn’t focused on that,” Cai said. “I was focusing on playing my own game.”
“Jacquie is one of the hardest working golfers around and is having a tremendous season,” Connolly said. “She spends countless hours working on her game and is almost always in a position to make birdie or par.”
“She never gets rattled on the course and makes smart decisions,” Connolly added. “She is very supportive of her teammates and everybody loves to play with her. Because of her consistency and composure we always expect her to finish near the top at every tournament.”
#b#Crown For Perrine#/b#
Cai has impressed at least one champion with her play.
“She is one heck of a golfer,” Ben Perrine said. “She’s following in her brother’s footsteps.”
Perrine is also a heck of a golfer, as he became the first Knight to win the MCT crown since Cai did it. The senior was the lone golfer in the field to break par on a rainy day at Mercer Oaks East, shooting a 2-under 70 to win by two strokes on May 3.
It was the realization of a goal for Perrine, who will attempt to walk on to Lafayette’s team next year.
“I’ve been really trying for three years to win it,” he said. “It’s especially nice because we were at our home course and I was able to win, especially because it’s all our local competition. I’ve been playing against these guys since I’ve been growing up so it’s finally nice to win one of these.”
Asked if he usually plays well in bad weather player, Perrine chuckled. “I guess I’m a pretty decent bad-weather player now,” he said. “I didn’t try to do anything miraculous, I just tried to stay within myself. I didn’t try any high-risk shots. I figured if I kept the ball in the fairway, got the ball on the green and got myself a good birdie putt here and there I’d have a pretty good shot.”
Traditionally strong off the tee, he drove well throughout and was able to get some effective chips when he missed a green. He had no penalty strokes, and got off to a confident start by draining a birdie putt on his first hole.
“My putting is where I’ll falter sometimes,” he said. “When I putt decent I’ll usually score well. It was nice to be able to make some putts here and there. When I started to make some of the putts I figured I would have a pretty decent day.”
The more he made, the better he played. “Making a birdie putt on the first hole gave me some confidence,” he said. “Confidence is the most important part of golf. Everyone mentions golf as a game of inches. It’s the game of inches between your left ear and your right ear that’s really big. It’s all mental once you reach a certain stage.”
Perrine’s MCT title came as no surprise to coach Connolly, who lauds the golfer for his hard work and attention to the details of golf. He called Perrine one of the best high school golfers in the area, adding that he’s been a consistent heavy hitter ever since Connolly took over the program.
Playing at Mercer Oaks did not hurt.
“He knows the course very well and was playing great leading up to the tournament,” Connolly said. “I figured if he had a good putting day that he might have a chance. I was surprised that he was able to score under par given the conditions. I am very proud of his accomplishment and it was a fantastic day for Ben, and our team (which finished second, nine strokes behind Peddie).”
Perrine began playing golf at age 8, and would go out on the course with his dad on family vacations. He did not take it seriously, however, until his freshman year at North.
Up to that point he had played football, hockey, and baseball. He hadn’t planned on switching from baseball to golf, but after breaking his thumb in his eighth-grade summer, he turned the bat in for the clubs.
“I didn’t hit the gene pool correctly and I was going to be kind of limited in baseball,” he said. “I figured you don’t have to be 6-foot-5 to play golf, so I went out.”
During his first year, he estimated dropping 25 strokes thanks to playing every day. He continued to improve and last year shot a 73 to finish in the top 10 at the MCT. He took second in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III tournament and is hoping for another big effort this year.
Perrine feels playing in several tournaments last summer has made him sharper for the tournament season, and his coach feels the same way.
“He has a fantastic swing and because he has played a lot of golf, he is able to fix things in his swing,” Connolly said. “He hits the ball very long, which is surprising given his size. He maximizes his swing speed. Probably his best asset is that he is able to tune out the distractions and focus on what he needs to do. I think the MCT was a great example of that. It was a really ugly day out and the conditions were tough. He was able tune out the rain and cold and focus on each shot.”
#b#NYU Honors Two#/b#
New York University men’s fencing team member Jerry Xu, a High School South graduate, was one of 24 undergraduates honored with the NYU Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award.
The awards were presented at a ceremony on April 27. A student must graduate with a grade point average of 3.5 or better and have competed for a minimum of two years on an intercollegiate team.
A four-year team member, Xu competed in sabre for the Violets. His best season came as a freshman, when he recorded 22 victories and captured the bronze medal at the U.S. Collegiate Squad Championships. Xu totaled 51 victories during his collegiate career.
Xu is a business major with concentrations in accounting and finance NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Women’s fencing team member and High School North graduate Emily Wu also received the award. A three-year team member, Wu competed in sabre. As a senior captain, she led the Violets to 13th overall at the NCAA Championships.
Wu is a business major in NYU’s Stern School of Business.
