The Dartmouth men's and women's golf teams wrapped up their seasons this past weekend with outings at the Rhode Island Spring Invitational and Northeast Championship, respectively.
The men truly had a chance to leave an impression on the national stage after a solid team set at the Ivy Championships, but they let the second round get away from them, finishing eighth of 18 in Portsmouth, R.I.
Co-captain Lee Birchall '02 carried his team one last time, shooting 80-78 -- 158 to place 17th overall in his final collegiate event. The other departing senior, co-captain Andy Pisacano, put up an impressive 79-82 -- 161 for the Big Green.
"Conditions were pretty tough: very cold and windy," Birchall said. "We just had a hard time getting it going. We definitely had a chance to win going into the last day being only five shots out, but just didn't get the low round we needed."
The lone freshman in the starting five, Steve Gruber, once again brought light to the future of the Dartmouth program, shooting the lowest first-day score and ending up with a 78-84 -- 162. Jero Esteve '03 and Jeremiah Daly '04 both shot 165 in the tournament.
Daly contributed some fond parting words for the senior leaders: "They were great captains and different captains who set an example that the rest of us hope to continue on," he said.
"Obviously Lee's career has been great, with three wins, four-time All-Ivy and putting the Dartmouth name in the South with his showing at the Alabama Open this summer.
"Andrew has gotten better every season I've been here," Daly said. "It's been a treat to play with someone who has a personality like his."
Birchall also reflected on his years at Dartmouth and what is to come.
"[It's] hard to believe that Andrew's and my career is over but we're looking for good things out of these guys next year," the senior said.
In Amherst, Mass., the Big Green women ripped through a rain-soaked championship featuring teams that all face the same weather and training problems. Second-year captain Vivian Lee '03 fired an 81 on the opening day, good enough for fifth place overall.
The Big Green shot a 345 overall in order to return home with a fifth out of 15 finish, after a rain-shortened, one-round tournament.
Princeton won the contest with 317, while Brown finished up in second place with a combined 328.
Sophomore Shannon Rogers was tied for 12th with an 83, while Kathy Birchall '04 shot a 90 and Alison Bergen '04 finished just one behind her with a 91.
The men will suffer the loss of two quality golfers, but look to an impressive recruiting class for support in the years to come. The ladies, on the other hand, will miss just one of their starting five, as captain Lee looks to lead the women to a solid season in the fall of 2002 and spring of 2003.
