In The Swing of Things

Mike Sciacca, Independent

When it comes to girls’ prep golf -- at least on the local scene, it’s

quality and not quantity that counts.

Take the Marina High squad, for example. Head coach Frank Ruotolo has

a varsity squad consisting of just eight players but his top three

players are considered to be the best around. His talent down the ranks

has made Marina hard to beat. No team as of yet has defeated the Vikings

in the 2001 season.

His team features two players who have been with the program for four

years -- seniors Lisa Sweller and Sarah Northcutt, and boasts a top three

that includes a freshman, No. 1 Jennifer Osborn, and a sophomore, No. 2

Jane Chin. The No. 3 player is senior Kelly Hunt. His talented team also

includes senior Brittan Northcutt, sophomore Elizabeth Cruz and senior

Cara Congelliere.

The Vikings were 11-0 and unbeaten in Sunset League play entering this

week’s schedule. They possess the best score -- 201 -- for five players

on a par 36 course this season and are ranked No. 1 in the CIF.

“We have been winning our matches by a lot of strokes,” Ruotolo said.

“We have a unique situation in that we have some girls who have been with

our program the entire four years and our top player -- our most

consistent player -- is a freshman. Sometimes in situations such as this,

personalities can clash. One of my concerns is team chemistry, and our

girls seem to care about one another.”

Ruotolo has taught health at Marina for 27 years and coaches both the

girls’ and boys’ golf teams. He was there when the girls’ program was

launched four years ago and has taken the Vikings to the CIF playoffs in

each of the previous three years. His first team won its final 17

matches, claimed the Sunset League title, finished 17-1 overall and was

ranked fifth in the final CIF poll -- still the program’s highest finish.

Subsequent teams finished second and third in league play, respectively.

But for all the success Marina has had in the short time that its

girls’ golf program has been in existence, Ruotolo says that success has

not bred numbers.

“On the contrary,” he said. “I actually have to go out on campus and

advertise to get girls to try out for the team. It’s much harder to get

the girls to come out than it is the guys.”

Much like tennis, the top female prep golfers have been involved in

juniors golf programs, such as the American Junior Professional Golf

Assn. These players golf nearly every day, said Ruotolo, who has a few of

his girls playing at the junior level.

“Marina has four girls who could very well be No. 1 at any other

school,” said Edison Coach Paul Harrell, whose Chargers have lost twice

to Marina this season. “That’s a very good thing for Frank. He knows

going into every match that he’s got the team to beat.”

Ruotolo’s last recruiting efforts, he said, netted just five new

golfers. In comparison, he stated that roughly 30 golfers will try out

for the boys’ team in November.

“Golf can be an intimidating sport that, like anything else, takes a

lot of practice to become good at it,” he said.

Harrell agrees but says that certain schools, such as Sunset League

power Esperanza, in certain areas of the county, don’t seem to have a

problem attracting players.

“They had 23 freshmen try out for the team,” Harrell said of

Esperanza, which is located in Anaheim and plays its home matches in

Yorba Linda. “The numbers in our program basically stay the same. Last

year we carried 15 players but this year we have 11.”

In girls’ golf, six players from each team go head-to-head, going out

on the course in three groups of two. At the end of the match each team

eliminates its highest individual score and then the remaining five

scores are added up and represent a team’s final score.

Marina will bid for the CIF Southern Conference championship on Nov. 5

at Green River Golf Course in Corona. The CIF team finals are scheduled

for Nov. 7 in Palm Springs and the CIF individual championships are set

for Nov. 15 in Desert Hot Springs.

The top five players from the Sunset League will take part at the

individual finals.

“We’ve been getting better as the season progresses,” Ruotolo said.

“Right now we’re ranked No. 1 in CIF and I think our chances (of winning)

are good. But the season’s not over. We just have to stay focused and

each of the girls has to continue to contribute. It really is a matter of

strength in numbers.”