Whitman College golf opened its 2025–26 season with a weekend to remember in Ventura, California. At the CA State Intercollegiate, hosted by California Lutheran at Olivas Links, the Blues’ men’s team captured the tournament title while rewriting the record books and the women’s team cracked the top five before finishing fourth in a competitive field.
For the men’s team, the first two rounds set the stage for victory. Whitman scored a blistering 19-under par across 36 holes — the best two-round total in program history — and carried a five stroke lead over Pomona-Pitzer into the final day. They held steady on Tuesday to secure the win.
Senior Ben Sweet, who stormed back with an 11-under finish over the last two rounds to tie for second individually, called the performance a milestone.
“It’s really big for our team,” Sweet said. “Going down to a tough conference like that and beating all those teams … I don’t think we’ve ever done anything like that in program history.”
Senior Eshan Singh echoed that excitement, highlighting both the result and the team’s togetherness.
“It feels great. It was a good tournament for all the players,” Singh said. “[There is] more to come; hopefully we can get some more wins in the fall … It’s always more fun playing for a team … You want to help your teammates out, you want to help the team win as much as possible.”
Sophomore Grady Brown and junior Mason Remington, tied for third after Day 1, finished fifth and seventh overall, giving Whitman three players in the top 10.
Singh credited the group’s balance but pointed to room for growth.
“I think I drove the ball well, and then I chipped well,” Singh said. “As a team, I think we need to do a better job putting … just working to get more consistent.”
For Sweet, the key to carrying the momentum forward is consistency.
“Everything was going how it needed to,” Sweet said. “I had the right mentality while I was out there … we’ve just got to keep doing the same things we’ve been doing and keep riding this momentum.”
On the women’s side, Whitman opened strong, finishing Day 1 at 11-over par to sit in second place. Senior Beatrice Archer led the way with an even-par 72 to close fourth individually, followed closely by senior Cindy Luo at 73 and sophomore Camila Yoo at 75.
Archer, who has worked on mindfulness techniques to steady her game, credited her calm approach for the early success.
“I’ve been doing yoga classes … and some certain types of breathing exercises, which basically reduces fight-or-flight,” Archer said. “On the first day I could feel an air of calm because I was doing that … Normally in golf it’s quite hard to do that [because] you can mess with a few holes and you’ve kind of messed up the rest because you can’t get out of that mental issue.”
Although the Blues slipped to fourth after the final round, Archer said the weekend offered a major breakthrough.
“Frankly, the first day was more impressive as we were sitting in second place with a 299 as a team,” Archer said. “We’ve been trying to break 300 for however many seasons, and then we did it the first tournament of this season … It’s definitely built our confidence.”
Archer added that the team’s next goal is simple but ambitious.
“It’s definitely just keeping up and getting everyone into the lower 70s [par-wise],” Archer said. “Even on our bad days … we’re still in the upper 70s … which is great, and if we can get those down to 75 or 74, just subtly lower, it helps the whole team.”
Junior Samantha Torres, who finished inside the top 20, said the result gave the group a strong foundation to start the season.
“Finishing top five was really nice for us, and the fact that all of us played good for our first tournament definitely made us super confident for our next one,” Torres said. “Now that we only have five players, all of us have really locked in and focused on our game.”
Torres noted that the biggest shift between summer practice and competition is mental.
“Over the summer … I would practice or play for fun with my friends, but when it comes to tournaments, there’s a pressure you put on yourself,” Torres said. “Golf is basically 60% mental … As I’ve gotten older on the team, I definitely don’t put as much pressure on myself. I feel like the team has given me an outlet to feel comfortable with my ability.”
As they approach the Orange & Black Invitational at Lewis & Clark on Sept. 22 and 23, both programs are confident and motivated. Torres summed up the Blues’ early-season identity.
“We’re huge on team dynamics,” Torres said. “We always try to improve how supportive we are, and the dynamic between us all is really nice right now.”
The Blues leave California with a program-defining triumph, a statement of intent and the confidence that both teams have the tools to keep climbing.
