Veator leads Ursuline to runaway sectional title

Sophomore fires even par, 5 clear of field

CONCORD — When Ursuline Academy sophomore Victoria Veator posted an even-par 73 in the first group at Monday’s North/ Central/West Girls Golf Championship at Nashawtuc Country Club, you had a feeling it might be a special day for the Bears.

Veator’s score began looking better and better as the evening wore on, holding up easily for medalist honors and leading Ursuline to the team crown in a runaway 23-stroke victory with a four-player total of 383.

It was the program’s second title in the last three sectionals contested after winning in 2018.

“I always tell them to play their game and to have fun because it’s a lot of competition and they put a lot of pressure on themselves out there on the course,” said Ursuline coach Lydia Healy. “So as coach, you just want to encourage them to do their best and play the best they can.”

The eight teams to opt-in to the sectional were vying for three spots at next week’s state tournament at Black Swan CC. Brookline (406) and Westborough/ Algonquin (425) will be joining Ursuline in Georgetown.

This year’s tournament featured a smaller overall field than normal as COVID modifications allowed team play only and no individual entrants. Typically, girls who compete during the fall on boys squads are permitted.

Veator was five strokes clear of her nearest challenger, Brookline freshman Julia Imai, who carded a 78. She shot a sizzling 2-under 35 on the front nine before coming home in 38, hitting a lot of greens and crediting her putting with bailing her out on a few occasions.

“I just got new irons so I wasn’t expecting anything amazing, honestly,” said Veator. “I was just trying to play my game, play how I know how to play and just see where it goes from there.”

Senior Anna Vernacchio also came up big for the Bears with a 93, good for fourth overall, while Cailin Kelly contributed a 107 and Victoria Wright a 110.

“Victoria (Veator) is our MVP, she carries the team, and then you have the follow-up players and it really matters how they are going to play,” said Healy. “They have been very consistent and all have worked really hard.”

During a difficult day in which only six of the 46 players broke 100, it was the young players who paced the field, with a pair of freshmen finishing in the top three as Wellesley’s Katherine Ng was third behind Veator and Imai with an 88, and seventh-grader Georgia Beland of Notre Dame Academy (Worcester) was fifth with a 95.