This past week the Swarthmore Golf team traveled to Bent Creek Country Club, home field of the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats, to participate in the F&M Fall Invitational. The event for the Garnet was historic to say the least. Nick DiMaio ’19 set the record for lowest individual score, and the team collectively set the record for lowest score in the college’s history. The Garnet crushed other Centennial Conference opponents, topping F&M by nine strokes and Muhlenberg by 19.
You guys set the record for lowest team score in school history. What was the journey like?
Drew Langan ’17: “We haven’t sniffed the record in a couple years. We got within three strokes my sophomore year. It was pretty special for us, and showed we have the potential to go out and win conferences.”
Nick DiMaio ’19: “Coming in as a freshman, I understand being on this team is something bigger than myself. By working hard in practice every week, we took every step possible to be the best. Every guy playing their best on one day, adding up to group success.”
Dan Altieri ’19: “It feels really cool, beating them by so many strokes. With three sophomores and one freshman, having young talent make a mark on team history was remarkable. We have more years to do it and hope to break our own records.”
How does it feel to take down Franklin and Marshall on their home field?
Nick DiMaio ’19: “It was pretty big for us, especially since it’s their home tournament. They’ve defended themselves very well, year after year, considering it’s their tournament. Beating them is big for our confidence moving forward.”
Dan Altieri ’19: “This is the only time we’ve beaten them. They have lots of school pride, so being able to do well against them on Monday was a good feeling. We’re going to be a force to reckoned with this year.”
You guys were performed very well last year. What’s been the difference?
Drew Langan ’17: “More depth. We had three great freshman last year. It’s tough to adjust in college, but they did a great job. We’ve seen big time improvements from the sophomores, and really saw that with Nick breaking his individual record on Monday. They’ve taken their game to the next level.”
Nick DiMaio ’19: “We have a lot of experience. We started three freshman last year. Now that we’ve seen some of these courses, we know how to attack them.”
What was your role in the record-breaking performance?
Vamsi Damerla ’19: “I shot a 71, which is my personal low round here at Swat. We’ve been saying all season that our starters are all playing well, but we just haven’t played well on the same day. It finally came together on Monday. We were hoping we’d have a round where everything clicked.”
