After winning three straight MAAC championships, Quinnipiac golf looked to be on pace for a fourth. But a rough second round in last year’s tournament derailed those hopes.
Yet 2025 presents a fresh opportunity.
The Bobcats enter the spring as the top team in the MAAC women’s golf preseason poll, earning four first-place votes. Last year’s champion, the Albany Great Danes, came in at No. 2.
The team believes it has what it takes to return to the top, but also knows nothing is given to them, after losing by three strokes last year.
“When we were picked one, we were like, ‘Yeah, that makes sense, but we still have to prove it,’” sophomore Samantha Galantini said. “Just because we’re ranked one doesn’t mean we’re going to win, so it just helps prove that we believe that we are the best team.”
Their start of the season did not reflect their rankings, placing No. 11 at the Columbia Classic on Feb. 6. Playing in February comes with a tall task for Quinnipiac, as trying to play golf year-round in Connecticut is difficult. As temperatures drop, courses are unplayable, shifting the workouts inside to a simulation room.
“I feel like our first tournament none of us really played well, but I kind of gave us a break on that one,” Galantini said. “But I think just the first few tournaments, we’re just having not been outside at all, it was pretty hard, but I think we’re going to be better prepared.”
The team faced more than just rust but also tricky course conditions. They placed fifth at the Butler Don Benbow Spring Invitational and seventh at the Low Country Intercollegiate.
“(Butler and Wofford’s courses) are quirky, and if you don’t hit the fairway off the tee, it’s going to cost you a couple of strokes,” head coach John O’Connor said. “(At Wofford) their greens were not receptive at all. They were small. They were mounted. So I saw way too many approach shots hit the front of the green and roll off the back, and once they rolled off of the green, either way, it was a mound that they had to contend with and around the greens this time of year, it’s tough to get the feel for it.”
The Bobcats finally got to practice outside on March 28, before traveling to Rutgers. That extra preparation paid off. They finished second in the first round and fourth for the whole tournament — their best of the spring.
With the MAAC Tournament in a week, the Rutgers Invitational was the first taste of the field. Five out of the seven teams in the MAAC Championships — Albany, Sacred Heart, Merrimack, Fairfield and Siena — competed at Rutgers. All five finished behind Quinnipiac, though Albany and Sacred Heart were separated by six strokes.
“We did beat all the MAAC teams, which was good, but we let Albany get a little too close,” Galantini said. “They were ahead of us for most of the final round. So (O’Connor) was pretty upset about that, because Albany and Sacred Heart, we only beat them both by a few shots. So it’s pretty much showing us that we know we could beat them, but we still have to play well to beat them.”
One of the promising developments this season has been the rise of the freshmen. Sophia Fujita, Marisa Flores and Vaidehi Shah have all been top golfers, playing key roles in the lineup.
“They’ve been doing well all year,” Galantini said. “Compared to the very first tournament in the fall, to how far they’ve come now. I mean, it’s been a great improvement for all of them. They’ve always been kind of consistent and kind of showed that … (if) they have a bad tournament, then they are bouncing back the next tournament.”
Fujita’s play has placed her as the No. 1 golfer for the MAAC Tournament. Her consistent play shooting in the 14-over-par range will help the Bobcats when her tee time is called.
“Sophia was my number one recruit,” O’Connor said. “She has done pretty well. And, you know, she’s no Leeyen (Peralta), and I was kind of hoping she was Leeyen, but it’s early; she’s made some adjustments. It’s been an adjustment for her.”
Flores has been a great addition to the Bobcats, with her ability to pull out consistent performances placing her in the No. 4 position.
“She doesn’t do anything fancy on the golf course, but she’s able to produce some pretty good scores, as indicated at Delaware, where she shot a 69,” O’Connor said.
Shah rounds out the lineup for the MAAC Championship after strong performances in the spring, including a season-best 13-over-par at the Columbia Classic.
“Vaidehi has gone as low as 73, and her highs are not too high that concern me,” O’Connor said.
The Bobcats’ championship lineup will include the three freshmen, along with Galantini and senior Fuge Zhang. And based on the numbers, the Bobcats believe they’re the team to beat.
“If you look at the rankings, we’re the highest ranked team in the MAAC,” O’Connor said. “Our numbers are the best out of any team in the MAAC. Right now, it looks like Merrimack will be our competition. I don’t expect Albany to be all that good. They have not played well this semester. They don’t have the talent that we have.”
