Vernon golf team has successful season

So many affirmative things were in the corner of the Vernon High School golf program this past season-from solid coaching, to powerful leadership on the roster, to student athletes constantly finding ways to get better in the wonderful albeit at times very challenging sport.
The results speak volumes for the Vikings as they finished the year with 15-5 record.
Joseph Byrne, the head coach for Vernon, recalls some of the top matches for his team and players from 2019.
“Two matches stand out the most," Byrne said. “First was our 152-159 win versus Hackettstown (on May 6). It was a big win for our program. Second was our win versus High Point (151-195 on May 1) for two reasons. First, we played our best round of the year at Cascades (Golf Course in Hamburg), shooting a 151. Second, during the JV match, two of our players showed incredible sportsmanship towards a new golfer from High Point."
Veteran golfer Dan Kondel has not surprisingly showed remarkable leadership on the roster for the Vikings and he was not alone.
“Dan Kondel has been our leader for four years," Byrne said. “He is an exceptional young man and has been a great leader for us. Ayden Steinbach, a sophomore, stepped up this year and played our most consistent golf. We knew we could always count on him."
Coach Byrne noted a pair of freshmen as being among those on the squad who improved the most over the course of the spring.
“We did not expect to get as big a contribution from our two freshmen, Lucas Brennan and Evan Steinbach," Byrne said. “But both improved tremendously throughout the season and became integral parts of our varsity team."
There are plenty of good times seemingly in the future for the Vernon golf program.
“We have three varsity players returning and all of them helped out the team considerably this year," Byrne said. “We’re hoping their love for the game aides them in improving during the offseason."
The contributions made by a memorable group of graduating seniors won’t soon be forgotten.
“Dan Kondel, Shane Brennan and Chris McCann have been major varsity contributors for the last three years, and Dan for four," Byrne said. “It has been an absolute pleasure to coach all of them and we will definitely miss them next season."