This was a good season and a good start. Cathedral High Schools girls golf had a competitive season under first-year coach Nick Jamell in 2023, advancing to the second round of the postseason after a solid regular season. The Irish were a senior-laden team in ‘23, and the experience mattered. “I think it was a really good first season as a head coach,” Jamell said. “I can't ask for much more, I don't think.” The Irish advanced to the regional tournament with a second-place finish in the Cathedral Sectional at Maple Creek, shooting 395 as a team and finishing two shots behind sectional champion Heritage Christian. The Irish ended the season the following week with a sixth-place 366 at the Lapel Regional at the Edgewood Golf Club. “I think we played well,” Jamell said. “All the girls did a good job. We had a couple of freshmen and a sophomore who got some experience because they were on the sectional roster and now they'll get to carry that on. It was good for those girls to get to see that a little bit at that level and be able to walk through it with the girls who had been to regionals last year. “That's real helpful. They maybe left a few shots out there, maybe could have been a little bit better, but I think overall as a team they were happy with how they performed.” Senior Tillie Browning shot 91 to finish third individually at the sectional, with senior Celia Miles shooting 96, senior Chloe Cox shooting 101, sophomore Katie Boggs shooting 107 and senior Jacqueline Piper shooting 109. Browning shot 86 at the regional with Piper and Miles shooting 92, Cox shooting 96 and Boggs shooting 102. “I'm happy with how they did,” Jamell said. “It's tough, especially golf being a no-classification sport. We're going up against Hamilton Southeastern and Noblesville and some of these [larger] schools. It can be a little bit tougher to compete sometimes, but I think that that's what helps us push to be better as well. “Cathedral does a good job of seeking out that level of competition. That's kind of what we're geared for.” Browning capped a solid four-year career by raising her level with a strong senior season and emerging as a vocal leader. “She did a great job,” Jamell said. “We talked a lot about playing smart golf, not safe golf. In sectionals and regionals, especially, but also at City, we talked about just trying to take those chances and see what she can do to move up. She really gave it a good go this season.” Jamell lauded a senior class that led on and off the course. “It helped to just have a good solid group of seniors who had been around the block a couple times,” Jamell said. “They’d been through it and knew what to do. They were very good in helping me along. It wasn't like I had to be breathing down their necks to make sure everyone's doing the right thing. “They set a good example. Their parents knew what was going on, and high school sports is a family effort as well. They knew what to do. They were able to help out. The group we had just made it really easy to focus on the game, and focus on what we had to do.” Added Jamell, “It was fun getting to kind of see them share that together. The memories that they have and the lessons that you take from coaches and your teammates and just the lumps that you can take while playing sports I think are some of the most important things.” Multiple Cathedral golfers reached personal bests as seniors, and the Irish also finished second in the City Tournament. “The girls did a great job at season,” Jamell said. “Everybody can have a bad day and a good day in golf, but for the most part, they were seeing averages drop over the year. They were playing better golf than they had in the past and, and they showed up, especially for some of the key tournaments. “That made those some of the highlights of the season.” Junior Amelia Buhner also was key for the Irish in 2023, with freshmen Abby Mattingly and Maddie Turner making the sectional roster as freshmen. “They look good,” he said. “Last year we were a little light on freshmen coming in and new people coming in. It won't be five seniors taking up the top five spots [in the future]. We'll be figuring that out next season. My hope is that a good team breeds a little bit more a little bit of growth, a little competition for those spots.”