Golf has always been a game where consistency is paramount. The men’s and women’s golf teams proved that this weekend as both got their seasons off to hot starts at the St. Lawrence University Invitational in Canton, New York.

The women’s team was especially impressive, shooting a combined score of 625 and finishing at the top of the standings, beating second place Ithaca College by 22 strokes.

Meanwhile, the men’s team finished in second place with a combined score of 608, 12 shots behind St. Lawrence University.

Both teams had a number of quality individual performances, especially from several newcomers. On the women’s side, freshman Alyssa Poentis shot a two-day score of 153, tying for first place among the competitors.

Sophomore Pari Bhargava impressed with a third-place 156, while junior co-captain Elaine Tse and freshman Kristin Lee both shot a fifth-place 158.

A freshman also led the way for the men as Dan Lynch shot an overall score of 149, finishing tied for fourth at five over par. Not far behind him were senior co-captains Matthew Gjonaj and Kevin Chien, as well as freshman Hartej Gill. Gjonaj shot 154 while Chien and Gill both finished with a score of 155.

Senior co-captain Charles Van Cook also performed well, shooting 159 and finishing 29th.

Senior men’s team co-captain Kevin Chien noted the excellent play of the freshmen in the tournament and expressed his excitement about what this means for the team as a whole.

“This tournament made me excited for the rest of the year because it showed our newfound depth, with the freshmen shooting the lowest scores on the first day and Dan Lynch finishing fourth overall,” Chien said. “This freshman class is the best I’ve seen in my four years on the golf team and I’m excited to see NYU hopefully emerge as the team to beat going into the spring season.”

The women will be back in action this weekend as they host the NYU Invitational on Sept. 13 and 14 at Spook Rock Golf Course in Suffern, New York. Not only is this a tournament for the Violets, but it is also the team’s Family and Alumni Day.

The men return to play in two weeks at the Williams College Invitational. The action begins on Sept. 20 at the Taconic Golf Club. The team will look to build upon their momentum with a first-place finish in the tournament. Both teams look to continue their great starts going into conference play in early October.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 9 print edition. Email Michael Thompson at [email protected].