The Wantagh boys’ golf team showed great improvement over the previous season, with a 5-9 record. The team was competitive in most of its matches.

Led by senior captain Ethan Insinga, the team swept Freeport, Sewanhaka and split with East Meadow.
Insinga has a chance to qualify for the county tournament, which is in the spring, according to coaches Pete Kravitz and Rich Colavita, who completed their 11th year running the squad.

“The season as a whole was an overall great time,” said Insinga “The entire team showed promise and the future for Wantagh golf looks bright. I was glad my senior season ended the way it did with this group. I look forward to seeing how this group does in the upcoming years.”

Also, putting together solid seasons were juniors Jack Thiry, TJ Hurley, Matt McCartin and Cole Kornbluth. All four had several rounds in the low 40’s, with Insinga and Thiry the only golfers to break 40 during the season.

“This season was a big improvement over last year,” said Kornbluth, a junior who has started on varsity for three years.

Hurley had one of the most exciting moments of the season when he birdied the final hole to help the team ground the East Meadow Jets, 7-2, at Bethpage Green. With both teams watching the final hole Hurley stuck a 165-yard shot 3 feet from the pin and drained his match-winning putt to clinch a dramatic first win of the season.

The golfers also won back-to-back shutouts late in the season. They blanked Freeport 9-0 at Merrick with Thiry shooting a match low 39. Insinga and Kornbluth shot 41 and McCartin had a 42. Hurley and Liam Winges also picked up wins. The match prior to that the boys posted another 9-0 win over Sewanhaka. Insinga had the match-low 39 at Eisenhower Blue.

Also contributing to the squad, which saw a record 27 boys and girls try out, were senior John Vaiano and sophomore Matt McCoy, who won a match. Theo Hostetter and Eamon Roth cracked the starting lineup and earned victories.