Jack Estrella ’28 secured a victory on Sunday in the individual competition of the Berkshire Invitational, hosted at Waubeeka Golf Links in Williamstown. In the team competition, the Ephs came in second, just two strokes behind the Tufts Jumbos. 

Estrella’s win, the first of his college career, was an emphatic one. On Saturday, he shot two under par, carding a 69. His first day was chock-full of birdies — five in total — landing him second in the individual rankings going into Sunday. 

As day one’s humid, slick conditions rolled into a crisp New England spring morning, Estrella went into the second round two shots off of first. 

Sunday didn’t start off as planned. Windier conditions meant that balls weren’t flying as straight, according to co-captain Ben Sapovits ’25. Estrella bogeyed two and birdied two of the first four holes.

But as the day went on, Estrella was dialed in: He didn’t bogey a single hole for the rest of the day. “I just stayed focused,” he said. “I knew that the wind could make the other player irritated throughout the round, and it did. So after those two bogeys, I played three under par through the rest of the holes. And then I just kept it together. I never got ahead of myself.”

As he made his way to the 18th green, everything in Estrella’s bag started doing its job. 

“My putter was working really well,” he said. “They cut the greens on Sunday, which I like, because it just rolls smoother. And I was able to make more putts.”

He finished the day 1-under and the weekend 3-under, beating his closest competitor by four strokes.

“It’s just super fun whenever someone can win,” Sapovits said in an interview with the Record. “I’m very proud of him.” 

Fellow first-year Hunter Justice ’28 also had a strong back nine on Sunday, birdying the last two holes to bring the Ephs within striking distance of the Jumbos. 

“Probably the best shot I’ve hit the entire season,” Justice said of his approach to the 17th green. “The whole day I was four over… I just wasn’t getting anything good… And then seeing the guys out there support, not only me, but also Jack just gave me this extra boost of motivation.”

Justice then made a 70-foot putt on the 18th, the longest of his college career, to finish his round.

The first-years’ successes were a boon for the rest of the team.

“I think that was a kickstart for today, and everyone was just kind of fired up,” John Pagano ’26 told the Record. 

Indeed, after trailing the Jumbos by seven shots after Saturday, the whole team played some impressive golf to finish only two behind. 

Alex Moller ’27 shot a 72 on Sunday, making five birdies — two of which came in the last four holes. Owen Nielsen ’27 joined his classmate in the scoring, carding a 3-over 74 after getting birdies on eight and ten. 

For the team, the weekend’s strong showing was a clear sign that its work in the offseason and over the past two weeks is paying off. 

“I think the team’s working really hard,” Pagano said. “We had a great spring training trip in North Carolina. The way those things usually go is you spend the first couple of days having a really rough go at it, because you haven’t played golf [outdoors] in so long. And it is usually a long adjustment period, but I’d say everyone hit the ground running pretty quickly… Everyone came back super motivated and ready to work.”

This weekend’s tournament was the first of back-to-back weekends stints for the Ephs. On Saturday, they will host the NESCAC championships at Taconic Golf Club after playing the Little Three Tournament at Wesleyan. As they gear up for another go at the conference title, time on the course is also coming to an end for the team’s seniors. 

At NESCACs, Sapovits will be making his final appearance alongside Peter Dohr ’25 and co-captains Phil Clifton ’25 and Toby Foehl ’25. 

“We had dinner [on Saturday] with all the team and the parents, coach, and everything,” he said. “I’ve done it every year, but this is the last one, so I’ve definitely been emotional throughout the whole experience. I’m just trying to not have any regrets.”

“I truly, truly think those are four of the most amazing people I’ve met in my life,” Justice said of the seniors. “Next year is gonna be rough without them, for sure, especially since it’s four and we’re a small roster, but they’re just amazing people, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have them as my seniors.”

After this weekend’s strong performance and as rangefinders turn to the pin of NESCACs, Sapovits is confident in the team’s ability to have a good showing. 

“We’re playing well,” he said. “I feel like every tournament we’ve had this spring has been a better result than the last, and the team score has been going down every single time, so we’re trending in the right direction… I’m feeling great going into NESCACs.”