Prep Stories of the Year for 2024: Stevenson makes first state girls golf appearance in 17 years

PEBBLE BEACH>>Jason McArthur remembered watching Stevenson’s first official girls’ golf practice back in August, seeing drives soaring through the Del Monte Forest sky.

At that point, before the Pirates even had a golf tournament, the fourth-year coach knew he had a special group of players ready for a historic run.

“It was at the driving range on the first day of tryouts,” McArthur said. “Seeing the returning players and those that tried out. All the pieces that were missing were in place.”

Having come up short the past two years in the Pirates’ bid to reach the state championships, McArthur never brought it up. He didn’t have to.

Instead, he let his players’ game do the talking throughout a season that witnessed an eighth straight undefeated Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division season.

Stevenson’s girls golf team, including Nikki Iniakov (left), Coco He (right) and Lucinda Wu (middle), finished fourth at the State Championships. (John Devine — Monterey Herald file)

“I think everyone felt the momentum that we had been so close in the past,” McArthur said. “We felt like we underperformed at last year’s Northern California finals. So let’s get to state this year and see what we can do.”

The biggest problem McArthur encountered was having eight of the top 10 players in the area. Only six scores can count in the team total.

While eight different players took turns playing rounds throughout the league season, even earning medalist honors, McArthur had one leader in senior Nikki Iniakov, who had been to state the previous three years as an individual.

A four-time Gabilan Division Player of the Year, the Harvard-bound golfer had one goal for her senior year and that was to help the Pirates get to state as a team.

Stevenson put together a milestone moment at the league finals by winning the Gabilan Division championships by 75 strokes over runner-up Carmel.

It set the tone for the following week when the Pirates shot 27 strokes better than the previous year at the Central Coast Section finals, yet finished second to Valley Christian of San Jose.

“Most of our players might tell you they underperformed,” McArthur said. “That’s not me. We shot 27 strokes better. But Valley Christian got better too. We seemed to be nipping at their heels.”

For the fourth straight year, the Pirates found themselves at the Northern California finals, with a shot at state on the line.

“There were nerves and motivation,” McArthur said. “It was a blend of different types of nerves and excitement. They knew they were good enough. They didn’t want to let each other down.”

The ride home from the NorCal finals was about making plans for a Southern California trip after Stevenson earned one of three spots, placing second behind Valley Christian.

For the first time in 17 years, the Pirates were going to the state championships as a team, with an eye on leaving a legacy on campus.

With sophomore Lucinda Wu leading the Pirates, along with freshman Isabella Sun, the only one with state experience was Iniakov – the lone senior in a group of six that competed.

Maintaining that edge for four straight weeks is as mentally challenging as it is physically. Yet, a fourth-place finish at state included finally beating Valley Christian.

Stevenson’s Nikki Iniakov helped lead her team to a second-place finish at the Central Coast Section championships. (John Devine — Monterey Herald)

“That felt good,” McArthur said. “But it was bigger than that. Once we knew we beat everyone in Northern California, it validated what we had done all year.”

The fourth-place finish was the highest in a state team competition with no divisions in the county since Stevenson’s boys golf team won a state title in 2013.

Talk on the drive home wasn’t about the accomplishment. Instead, it was already about next fall where a more experienced group will take another shot at the pinnacle of high school golf.

Had all six equaled their best scores of the season, the Pirates would have brought home a state title. Easier said than done. But not an unrealistic goal to set in the future.

“These girls weren’t angry, just hungry,” McArthur said. “That makes me happy. We’re closing the gap. For the girls to see that we are not that far off is big.”