BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer
EDISON — With a highly talented foursome leading the way, the J.P. Stevens golf team looks to improve upon last season’s 9-11 mark and a 3-9 finish in the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division .
Senior co-captains Jason Almedia and Sarah Feldman are expected to be forces to reckon with this spring.
“Jason is one of our more consistent golfers,” Stevens head coach Andy Eng said. “He has a good shot to be our No. 1 this season, and I look for him to provide leadership and assistance with the new kids on the team.”
Feldman returns for her third year on the varsity team and she is the defending GMC Tournament champion.
“She played in quite a few tournaments in the off-season, which should help her improve her game this year,” Eng said. “Sarah’s consistent, [she] puts the ball in play and, like Jason, she should be a great asset to the younger players by sharing her experience.”
As a sophomore, Feldman finished eighth in the state tournament but was unable to improve this showing in 2004 due to weather cancellations.
Junior Alex Lang is expected to a major contributor, and like Feldman he is returning to the varsity lineup for the third consecutive year.
“Alex hits the ball fairly long,” Eng said. “He’s vying with Sarah for the No. 2 slot this season and he should be consistently among the team’s top scorers.”
Freshman Lydia Kim, a strong addition to the team, is expected to crack the starting lineup.
“Lydia is what you could call a hardcore golfer,” Eng said. “She works on her game all year long, and she travels up and down the East Coast playing in several tournaments. She really understands the game and she has tremendous potential.”
Stevens will look for its top four to provide most of the scoring while a strong cast of additional golfers will look to complete the starting lineup and become members of the top six.
Seniors Adam Young and Shawn Rubin are competing for the final two slots with sophomores David Tellson and Jared Rubin, and freshman Stephanie Chen.
“All of the golfers are capable, and I expect different names to appear on the starting lineup at various times during the season,” Eng said.
Stevens opened the season last Wednesday with a 109-218 win over Sayreville at the Metuchen Country Club, led by Kim’s 43. However, on Thursday, the Hawks dropped a 166-179 contest to South Brunswick, the second-ranked team in the GMC. Feldman, Lang and Kim all carded 44s for Stevens in this match, held at the Bunker Hill Golf Club.