Thompson, Nitsopoulos, Holy Cross top NCAA golf
For the second straight year, Cole Thompson finished atop the individual boys leaderboard at the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association golf tournament.
“I have definitely played larger tournaments but it is a confidence booster, for sure, to post a good number out here just because I have been working so hard lately,” he said. “Hopefully our team moves on and we can win SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association).”
Blessed Trinity didn’t advance out of SOSSA last year and Thompson missed qualifying for OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) by one place. He came second and only one individual advanced off of teams that didn’t qualify for OFSAA.
“I’ve never been to OFSAA before so that would be nice. It is in Timmins so it is going to be cold.”
The Grade 12 student was hot Monday, carding an even par 72 Monday at Twenty Valley to finish one stroke ahead of Holy Cross’ Landon Friesen. Last year, he tied for first with BT teammate Hudson Mielko.
Rounding out the top five on the boys side were Holy Cross’ Nate Ditto (74), Notre Dame’s Leo Savio (75), Saint Francis’ Matthew Hitchcock (77) and Denis Morris’ Andrew Burciul (77).
Thompson, Hitchcock and Burciul advanced to SOSSA Monday at Sawmill as individuals.
The 17-year-old’s win in the NCAA championship capped a strong season of play. The Lookout Point member finished 13th overall in the Ontario junior order of merit, highlighted by a third-place showing at the Ontario junior match play championship. He also won the bronze division at the International Junior Masters tournament in East Aurora, N.Y., and made the cut at the Golf Canada NextGen tournament and the Ontario Spring Classic.
“My game has been pretty solid. I’ve gone through a couple of swing changes and I have done pretty well considering some of the tournaments I’ve played in. I also tried to qualify for the Porter Cup and I am going to try and do some more men’s tournaments next year.”
He has been working hard on his swing trying to get it more consistent and has gained a lot of swing speed in the off-season.
“It was a big adjustment for me and I also just switched coaches,” he said. “My game is definitely trending up and I have working really hard on my short game. Some days I struggle with ball striking like today and a good short game really helps. I chipped in on the second hole today for a birdie and stuff like that keeps my round going.”
This is Thompson’s last year of high school and he’s planning to play NCAA golf next fall. He’s keeping his deliberations to himself but he has had offers from a number of universities. The future kinesiology major will base his decision on academics and athletics.
“I haven’t committed anywhere yet and I can’t really say too much. I’ve got to find the best fit for me.”
Holy Cross won the team event by an impressive 20 strokes. Saint Michael and Notre Dame also advanced to SOSSA.
Boys teams: 1. Holy Cross 311 (Landon Friesen 73; Nate Ditto 74; Gavin Tomczuk 82; Joshua Dulas 82, Sheldon Walker 100); 2. Saint Michael 331 (Angelo Butera 80; Cameron McDonald, 81; Aidan Smith 82; Alec Linton 88; Vincent Cuvielllo 92); 3. Notre Dame 332 (Leo Savio 75; Colby Franchetti 81; Townes Bestward 86; Carson McComber 90; Julian Belcastro 90).
GIRLS DIVISION
Like Thompson, Mya Nitsopoulos of Denis Morris was a repeat winner in the NCAA individual event.
The Grade 12 student fired a 94 to record a one-shot victory over Lakeshore Catholic’s Greir Aikens. Also advancing to SOSSA were Saint Paul’s Edyn Sobie (101), Denis Morris’ Kiara Bozek (102) and Saint Michael’s Rianna Cuviello (108).
“It’s a good accomplishment in my last year of golf in school,” the 17-year-old said.
Her secret to success was hitting it well off the tee.
“My drives were pretty good today but my chipping was not great on the last hole. It was like a three-putt chip to finish off with an eight. I would have had a way better round except for that.”
Her chipping did save her a few pars on the par 3s.
Nitsopoulos qualified for OFSAA last year but didn’t have her best performance.
“I shot 105 or 106 but the weather sucked a lot,” she said, with a laugh.
Her goal is to make it back to OFSAA one last time.
“I want to finish on a good foot and it is nice to be able to put it on my resume.”
Nitsopoulos, who has been playing for four years, golfs for fun and doesn’t compete in any tournaments.
“I haven’t really got there yet but if I got better I might.”
She has been a competitive dancer since she was two and plays squash, volleyball and badminton at Denis Morris.
“Golf is my favourite sport because it is something you can do for the rest of your life.”
Her dance background comes in handy on the golf course.
“I feel it helps with balance and being really meticulous with things.”
Nitsopoulos is planning to study health sciences in university next fall and she’s still trying to figure out which university she will attend.
