Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: St. Edmond girls golf team members are (left to right): Ann Veneziano, Cora Anderson, Irelyn Derrig, Nora Lee and Khue Nguyen.

The St. Edmond girls are virtually wiping the slate clean on the golf course this spring.

Only two players, senior Nora Lee and sophomore Irelyn Derrig, return with any kind of meet experience for new head coach Matt Dillon.

“We’re obviously very young and inexperienced overall,” said Dillon, who also coaches the Gael boys. “For a lot of the kids, this will be something totally new. It might be a struggle, especially early on. But they’re working hard and trying their best.”

Lee competed in every varsity meet for St. Edmond last season. Derrig teed off in four different duals.

Dillon, who is replacing long-time coach and former Gael all-stater Kelsey (Faiferlick) Felch, must also fill the gaps led by graduated seniors Ellie Driscoll and Kara McGonegle.

Senior Khue Nguyen, sophomore Ann Veneziano and freshman Cora Anderson round out the St. Edmond roster.

“The goal at this point is just to figure out how to get better every day,” Dillon said. “That’s all you can ask. They’re willing to learn and grow, but it takes time. Golf is a tough sport to try and pick up competitively from (virtual scratch).

“Nora and Irelyn have to set the tone based on what they’ve gone through up to this point.”

Dillon added, “I’m hoping they finish what they started and see this through.”

“Golf is a life-long sport,” Dillon said. “There is so much you learn about yourself from playing it. We have to keep things simple, focus on the fundamentals, and work as much as possible on the areas you can control.”

St. Edmond welcomes South Central Calhoun on Friday and Southeast Valley on Tuesday at Lakeside to start the 2025 campaign. The annual CYO meet will also be hosted by St. Edmond on April 30, as will the North Central Conference meet on May 12.