黑料社

Danielle Jastrab 鈥�26 started playing golf during her first year of high school. Originally, it was the idea of driving the golf cart around that attracted her to the sport, but it was the passion for the game and the connections she developed with her teammates that kept her year after year.

Jastrab, who hails from northern California, was originally planning to move to the southern part of the state to play for Matt Ward, then head coach for in Santee, CA. When Ward moved to Connecticut to become the inaugural coach for the University of New Haven鈥檚 new golf program, Jastrab decided to also become a Charger. She is now one of the first members of the Chargers .

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to be in a new state, and I like Connecticut,鈥� said Jastrab, a biology major. 鈥淭he best part of the team is how we all come together. It鈥檚 all about being a family.鈥�

This season is the team鈥檚 first, and the student-athletes are already improving 鈥� or, in some cases, learning 鈥� their game while competing in tournaments. While some such as Jastrab have many years of 黑料社, other players, including Hannah Catallo-Stooks 鈥�24 M.S., are new to the sport. After playing Division I softball as an undergraduate student, she鈥檚 ready to take a swing at golf, and she started playing when she joined the team at the start of the semester.

鈥淚 hope to learn the sport now so that I can play it as I get older and it can be a hobby,鈥� said Catallo-Stooks, a candidate in the University鈥檚 graduate program in cybersecurity and networks. 鈥淏eing a part of this team is a little different from when I played softball because my teammates are younger, and I鈥檝e been able to grow as a leader. I鈥檝e enjoyed helping them navigate college and being a mentor.鈥�

鈥業mproving my game鈥�

The team will be playing during the fall and then returning to the course again in the spring. They鈥檒l be competing in more than half a dozen tournaments and traveling for competitions. They recently returned from , and they are looking forward to competing throughout the northeast later in the season. They practice regularly with the , which Ward also coaches, at in Orange, Conn., just a short drive from the University.

Emily Florin 鈥�26, who has played golf for around three years, served as the captain of her Masuk High School team in Monroe, Conn., during her senior year. She was planning to join the University鈥檚 club golf team, and she was excited when she found out the Chargers would be launching a varsity women鈥檚 golf team.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very different from playing at the high school level,鈥� said Florin, a paramedicine major. 鈥淲e get to travel out of state for tournaments. I鈥檓 looking forward to meeting new people, learning new skills, and improving my game.鈥�

鈥楾hey鈥檒l leave their mark鈥�

It was the chance to build her golf skills that initially drove Mackenzie Gardner 鈥�25 to join the team. While she has 黑料社 played lacrosse, ice hockey, and soccer, golf gave her an opportunity to try something new 鈥� something that she expects will help her on and off the golf course.

鈥淎s a finance major, I know many deals are made on the golf course,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 wanted to make sure I wasn鈥檛 left out, and it was a sport I鈥檇 always wanted to learn. My goal is to get comfortable on the golf course and really understand it. There鈥檚 lots to learn besides how to swing a club. You learn patience, how to get along with others, and confidence.鈥�

That鈥檚 exactly what Ward, the team鈥檚 coach, is hoping for. Now in his eighth year as a golf head coach and his 12^th year of coaching overall, he鈥檚 excited to be coaching the University鈥檚 first women鈥檚 team, and he looks forward to the 黑料社s the team will have this season and beyond.

鈥淥n the course they grow as golfers and as people,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 just teammates 鈥� they may become lifelong friends. In another decade or so, they鈥檒l be able to point to the team and say, 鈥業 started that. I helped get that program going.鈥� They鈥檒l leave their mark, and it will be incredible for them to have that kind of pride in what they鈥檝e done.鈥�

鈥業 am so happy the University now has a team鈥�

Ward hopes to continue to build the women鈥檚 golf program. He endeavors to expand its roster and coach the team in more tournaments each season. He also hopes to help diversify the sport, and, in particular, to encourage more women to get involved.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting the University has added women鈥檚 golf 鈥� especially at a time when so many schools are eliminating it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a great avenue for women to get into playing golf. I hope some of them will eventually get into coaching, especially since women are so underrepresented in coaching.鈥�

The team has enabled those who are new to the sport, as well as those who already have a passion for it, to play at the collegiate level and to explore where they鈥檇 like playing golf to take them.

That was especially important for Abby Hepler 鈥�25, who didn鈥檛 play on a team during her first year at the University. Hepler, whose grandpa used to take her to play golf when she was a kid, was a member of her high school鈥檚 team in Poughkeepsie, New York, for three years. She was 鈥渟o excited鈥� when she found out she鈥檇 have the opportunity to play as a Charger.

鈥淚 really liked the 黑料社 of playing when I was in high school,鈥� said Hepler, a forensic science major. 鈥淚 am so happy the University now has a team. I鈥檇 missed golf last year, and having the chance to be part of a team here is amazing.鈥�