(August 5, 2023) – The 2023 New England Junior Amateur will be contested from August 7-9 at the Mount Washington Resort Golf Club in New Hampshire. On the boy’s side Connecticut will be represented by AJ DePaolo, Alex Elia, Will Gregware, Gavin Kvadus, Robby Rosati, Bradley Sawka, and Luke Stennett while Aoife Devaney, Arabella Lopez, and Laniah Moffett will make up the girls team.
Last year at Manchester Country Club in Vermont the Connecticut team came home with both the boys and girls titles and the individual titles as Will Lodge (boys) and Arabella Lopez (girls) won in playoffs.
Connecticut Boys Team:
AJ DePaolo (Farms CC): Committed to Fordham, DePaolo has put together a strong 2023 season reaching match play at the Connecticut Amateur and the quarterfinals at the Connecticut Junior Amateur. In May Depalo finished T19 at the Russell C. Palmer Cup after earning medalist honors at the qualifier.
Alex Elia (Silver Spring CC): Last week Elia won the Northern Junior Championship and in 2021 he captured the Borck Junior Tournament. Earlier this year the Holy Cross commit reached match play at both the Connecticut Amateur and Connecticut Junior Amateur. At the Connecticut Amateur he reached the Round of 16 while at the Connecticut Junior Amateur he made a run to the quarterfinals.
Will Gregware (Farmington Woods GC): A University of Maryland commit, Gregware won the Connecticut Junior Amateur last month and also made match play at the Connecticut Amateur. Earlier in the season Gregware had a T7 showing at the Russell C. Palmer Cup and was T9 at U.S. Open Local Qualifying.
Gavin Kvadus (EClub of Connecticut): In July Kvadus made an impressive run to the finals of the Connecticut Junior Amateur. Last October he shared the individual title at the CCC Championships. He followed his CCC showing up with a tied for third finish at the 2022 CIAC Fall Championship. Last year he took second place at the Long Island Junior Classic.
Robby Rosati (Great River GC): This year Rosati won the 2023 Challenge Cup Boys Championship, reached the semifinals of the Connecticut Junior Amateur for a second consecutive year, reached match play at the Connecticut Amateur, and made the cut at the Russell C. Palmer Cup. In 2022 Rosati finished second in both the Borck Junior Tournament and the Connecticut Junior PGA Championship.
Bradley Sawka (Ellington Ridge CC): Heading to UConn in the fall Sawka has had an impressive year. In May he finished fifth at the Russell C. Palmer Cup, competed in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, won the Father Son Championship in July, and also put together a strong performance at the Connecticut Open highlighted by a 3-under 68 in the second round. Sawka closed out his high school career by winning the 2023 Boys CIAC Open Championship.
Luke Stennett (Tallwood CC): The University of Rhode Island commit qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur and made match play at the Connecticut Junior Amateur. Stenett has also finished T4 at the 2023 CIAC Open Championship and T5 at the 2023 Computer Merchant Cup. Last year Stennett captured the Computer Merchant Cup.
Connecticut Girls Team:
“The Connecticut girls team arrives in New Hampshire fresh from victories at the Connecticut Women’s Amateur (Arabella), Hartford Women’s Open (Aoife) and top finishes at these events and the Connecticut Girls’ Junior (Laniah),” said Director of Women’s Golf, Competitions & Development Marsha Rupp. “Together they have competitive fire and great camaraderie which makes them a powerful team to watch this week.”
Aoife Devaney (CC of Waterbury): It has been a strong summer for Devaney. In July she won the Hartford Women’s Open and finished as the runner-up at the Connecticut Girls’ Junior. Last year she qualified for and competed in the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Arabella Lopez (Redding CC): The defending New England Girls’ Junior winner won the 58th Connecticut Women’s Amateur last month and in May she won the AJGA Preview at Bethpage. Last week she finished T2 at the Northern Junior Championship.
Laniah Moffett (EClub of Connecticut): The 2022 Borck Junior Tournament winner was part of the final group at the Connecticut Girls’ Junior before finishing fourth. At the 58th Connecticut Women’s Amateur she earned a 10th-place finish. In June Moffett claimed the 2023 Girls CIAC Open Championship.
About the New England Junior Amateur
Format: Seven boy golfers and three girl golfers from each of the New England state golf associations are selected to compete in a 54-hole team and individual stroke play competition. Boys and girls will compete for separate team and individual titles. Team scores are calculated by taking the best five out of seven scores each day for the Boys’ Division and the best two out of three scores for the Girls’ Division. The low 54-hole team score will be named the team champion(s) while the low 54-hole individual will be named the individual champion(s).
Schedule:
Day 1 – Practice round and dinner
Day 2 – Morning shotgun, lunch, afternoon shotgun, followed by dinner
Day 3 – Morning shotgun, followed by lunch and awards
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut State Golf Association functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
