Girls golf: Colpitts sisters boost Marin Academy program on the rise
In the spring of 2022, Cameron Colpitts was playing on Marin Academy’s boys golf squad. There was simply no other choice, really, since the school did not have a girls golf team … yet.
That all changed quickly and, in only its second year, Marin Academy’s girls golf team enters the playoffs as the Bay Counties League regular-season champions. Marin Academy will host the BCL tournament at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Peacock Gap Golf Course in San Rafael.
The Wildcats (9-1) clinched first place with their best outing of the season in a 195-255 victory over St. Joseph Notre Dame (9-1) in the final match of the regular season slate on Friday at Peacock Gap. San Domenico (6-4) finished third in a major step forward for the program.
“The girls had their best match of the season for us at the right time,” Marin Academy coach John Haight said.
Said Colpitts, “Breaking 200 was our goal from the start of the season, and it was amazing when we did. But to shoot 195, our lowest score, that was exciting. That was special.”
The Wildcats made a solid debut last season, as they placed seventh at the North Coast Section Division II tournament. Stephanie Zola missed the cut to advance to the Division I tournament by three strokes, with senior Parker Rothbart close behind at 92, while sisters Cameron and Sterling Colpitts were neck-and-neck with each other at 112 and 117, respectively.
The team took a hit in the offseason when Rothbart graduated and Zola chose to focus on other academic and athletic pursuits.
“The coaches told the team that we still have faith in them and we’ll all do the best we can,” Haight said. “We repeated that a few times this season, particularly toward the end of the season. We knew we still had a good, young core that we could continue to build on.’
That building process started with Cameron and Sterling Colpitts, consistently two of the best golfers in the league during the regular season. As good as they are on the links, Haight says they could be even better if golf was their primary sport. Cameron has committed to play soccer next season at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., while Sterling is a standout on Marin Academy’s basketball program.
“It’s been really fun to have something to do together outside of other sports,” Cameron said of playing alongside her sister. “Golf is something we’ll always have.”
And playing together makes them that much better, although their games differ significantly. Cameron Colpitts is possibly more accurate with her shots, while Sterling “hits the ball a mile,” according to Haight.
“Cameron pushes me to be better,” Sterling Colpitts said. “Golf is very much a mental game, so the most we do for each other is to motivate each other and to be encouraging. We’re lucky to have each other outside practice and outside the team.”