Multiple Athletes Head to Sectionals and State for Golf

By Zunaira Ansari, Staff Writer • Oct 18, 2023

Luke Daly, senior, accepts his invitation to the IHSA Golf State Competition.

A couple of weeks ago, both the boys and girls varsity golf teams had two individuals who qualified for sectionals: Seniors Luke Daly and Cam Buduan from the boys team and juniors Katelyn Daly and Arianna Jaramillo from the girls team.

Although Buduan, K. Daly and Jaramillo fell short at sectionals, L. Daly went on to compete at the state level. This was the second year in a row that L.Daly has made sectionals for golf, but was his first time representing Niles West at the state level. The state competition took place this past weekend with the state send-off taking place the morning of Oct. 4.

L.Daly has been playing golf since his freshman year, and so when sectionals came around he was proud to represent his school and had to trust himself.

“I got nervous going to sectionals, but I just trusted my ability and it seemed to work. The competition was really good; a lot of the guys from New Trier, Loyola Academy, Glenbrook South and other schools were really good, so it made the cut for state pretty low. I think it’s really cool I get to represent my school at the state level,” L. Daly said.

Head coach Mitchell Stern, who has been coaching golf for several years, expressed how proud he was of Luke and of his overall feelings at the end of his coaching career at Niles West. L.Daly applauds his coaches for organizing everything and overall coaching him to be a better athlete.

“A storybook ending to have Luke at State. He has been a determined athlete since his freshman year and all his hard work paid off with an exclusive trip to the State Finals. It was a career filled with so many wonderful memories. I was able to coach so many fantastic individuals who have helped the golf program at Niles West be both competitive and respected in the state of Illinois,” Stern said.

K.Daly, sister of state-bound L. Daly, also felt accomplished this season for making it to sectionals. She definitely thinks she has improved throughout her golf career here at West.

“I felt pretty proud that I made it that far mostly because my coach really wanted me to for his last year, but also because not a lot of girls go to sectionals for golf from our school. I think golf has really helped improve my mental toughness and focus, which I struggled with last year in both golf and basketball. It’s a challenging sport, so it really helps to stay calm and positive during matches,” K. Daly said.

Katelyn also applauds her brother’s accomplishment, knowing how hard he worked since day one.

“I was really really proud of him because I know how hard he’s been working to get better and he definitely deserved it. He had been telling all of his friends and family that he’s going to make it to state, and it was crazy when it actually happened. He’s one of the most dedicated people I know when it comes to his passion for golf,” K. Daly said.

Junior Arianna Jaramillo shares some insight on her journey to sectionals in addition to how golf has been a big part of her life.

“I’ve been taking lessons on and off since I was seven years old with an instructor and with my dad at the range, experiencing the highs and lows of the sport. This year, my hard work paid off as I proudly qualified for the sectionals. Being able to represent Niles West and the girls golf team was one of my proudest moments. It gave me the motivation to continue working harder, not only for me, but for my team and Niles West. Although I am beyond thrilled with this achievement, I am very motivated to continue bettering my game and pushing myself even further throughout this next year. With just a little more dedication and effort, I know that I can elevate my game to new heights,” Jaramillo said.

Congratulations to the Wolves who made it to sectionals, and great job to L. Daly for representing Niles West at the state level!