Harvard-Westlake Follows Course for Future Success

Darlene Bible’s parting message Monday was harmless banter, a cliche casually thrown around by coaches since the 1984 release of “The Terminator.”

But her serious tone and determined look made it clear the Harvard-Westlake High girls’ golf coach was not fooling around.

“We’ll be back,” Bible said.

Led by a two-over-par 76 by tournament medalist Ina Kim, the Wolverines shot a team score of 266 to finish third in the inaugural Southern Section girls’ team championships Monday at Sandpiper Golf Course in Goleta.

Irvine University won the title with a score of 256 at the scenic course along the coastline just north of Santa Barbara, and Fullerton Rosary shot 264 to finish third.

But with Kim, a sophomore who just happens to be the oldestHarvard-Westlake player, there is little doubt the Wolverines will be back.

Primed for a comeback is No. 2 player Emma Stachowicz, a freshman who struggled Monday to a 92--more than 10 strokes higher than her season average. She shot 87 last week in the regional qualifier, when Harvard-Westlake shot 270 to win the tournament.

The Southern Section added girls’ golf as a sanctioned sport this year. Previously, girls could only play for coed teams, but most had difficulty competing against boys while playing from the championship tees.

“This was a good experience,” said Kim, who had five birdies and two double bogeys Monday. “I know we all had fun.”

Kathryne Cooper shot 98 and had the third counting score for the Wolverines, the only team from the region to qualify for the tournament.

Harvard-Westlake was dominant in the region this season, winning the Mission League tournament by 71 strokes and losing only twice--both times when Kim and Stachowicz were unable to play.