The NYU women’s golf team is used to success. Led by head coach Brad Johnson, the team has made the NCAA Division III Championship every single season dating back to 2015. Very few collegiate teams in the country, let alone at NYU, can claim such a streak. 

For the first time in a while, however, the team did not win the annual conference tournament — the Liberty League Championship — in Guilderland, NY. After tying with Wellesley College after day one, NYU was unable to keep the pace on day two. Senior Nalinda Wanikpun tied for fourth overall in the tournament with a +10 score, and junior Srishti Dhurandhar finished with the same score. Dhurandhar was especially strong on the challenging holes, shooting a -1 on some of the par-fives.

Despite this disappointing result, the team still qualified for the NCAA Championship when the draw came out on Monday night. 25 conferences were given automatic bids to the tournament, and nine teams received at-large bids — NYU was one of these at-large teams. This does not come as a surprise, as the Violets are ranked in the top 10 nationally in D-III. The players are confident they have what it takes to make a deep run in the tournament.

“Qualifying for nationals [is] great, and having a good finish there [is the goal] because I know we’re capable of that,” junior Tiya Chowdary said. “As long as everyone doesn’t have any regrets and they’re really happy with themselves, I think that’s pretty solid.”

This confidence to do well in nationals does not come without precedent. Just last season, the team finished 12th in the country at the NCAA Championship.

Despite their success, the golf teams at NYU face the challenge of finding convenient practice spaces. Downtown Manhattan does not have any golf courses, and the team has to travel to New Jersey to practice. 

“We live in a city,” Wanikpun said. “We have to commute to New Jersey [and] only practice three times a week. For us to go out there and post the scores that we do, it is great that we are able to do that. Everyone on our team has a lot of talent.”

The team does not see the long commutes and limited practice times as an excuse. Instead, it sees these challenges as a way to grow as a team.

“I think we have it the hardest,” Chowdary said. “Other schools, even though they’re in the northeast, they’re a five-minute walk from their golf course. I think that’s what makes us so gritty. That really helps give us motivation to prove ourselves.”

The team’s grit and motivation have been reflected in its results from this spring season. In its last three tournaments, NYU ranked first in one and second in two. On April 13, the team won the Jack Leaman Invitational, hosted by Amherst College. Wanikpun led the way with the best score of any golfer at the tournament, shooting a -2, and Chowdary finished in second place with an even score.

The team is optimistic, but the players are hoping for more support. As a D-III academically oriented school, sometimes players feel that athletics are overlooked and that certain teams are not treated as well as they should be. After the team won the 2019 NCAA tournament, it received little recognition from the school. 

“We won nationals in 2019, and no one really knows that we have a golf team,” Chowdary said. “We do get a lot of funding, so I am grateful that we do have some support from the school, but we also have had mishaps on the trips.”

The team understands that golfing in New Jersey will not draw high fan attendance, but they are simply asking for more consistent support from the university.

“In general, there is a lack of connection between the administration and the players themselves,” Wanikpun said. “There’s also the sense that the coaches and their opinions are overlooked because the administration has all the say.”

Despite hopes for more support and recognition from the university, the team is grateful for all of the funding it receives from NYU. The players made it clear that they love their time at NYU, and they are grateful for the experiences they have had.

“NYU, in my head when I came, had a reputation of being really intimidating and not friendly, ” Wanikpun said. “Then I got to know my actual teammates, and I immediately understood that everyone was part of a family. I’m enjoying the fact that I chose to go to NYU. We’re a family.”

Contact Matthew Singh at [email protected].