Andover doubles up MVC crowns

LOWELL — It may not be a rare feat, but it certainly wasn’t easy — though they made it appear that way.

Andover captured the Merrimack Valley Conference Division 1 golf regular-season championship behind an impressive 13-1 record. The Golden Warriors compiled winning streaks of five and eight matches sandwiched around their lone loss to Central Catholic on Sept. 10 behind their trademark killer confidence on the course that was on full display throughout their imposing lineup.

Second-year head coach Jack Sheridan boldly stated during the summer that his squad fully intended on capturing both the MVC regular-season and championship tournament titles as the “deepest and most experienced” team in the conference.

He was spot on.

Andover senior Vincent Giaimo (left) is presented with the MVC Championship tournament medalist plaque by Long Meadow Golf Course PGA professional Shawn Scott. (Courtesy photo)

The Warriors quartet of seniors Giaimo, Lucas Jenney, Brendan Cote and James Dunham shared top-five rounds throughout the fall with Giaimo specifically fine-tuning his play as the regular season drew to a close, carding the medalist round over Andover’s final three matches.

“Beyond the raw talent, what made this 2026 Golden Warriors team special was their mindset and work ethic,” said Sheridan, whose squad placed sixth in Monday’s Division 1 North sectional at Black Swan Country Club in Georgetown, just missing the cut for the state final. “From senior leadership down through our younger guys, everyone accepted their role and played for each other every single afternoon.”

That determined mentality followed the Warriors into Wednesday’s MVC Championship at the par-72 Long Meadow Golf Course as they looked to add the treasured 10-team tournament title to their MVC I regular-season crown. All Andover did was outpace the field by an impressive six strokes with Giaimo again claiming the medalist round behind a 3-over 75, winning a dramatic playoff hole against Haverhill senior Matt Baker by sinking an eight-foot birdie putt.

Playing the par-4 ninth for the third time of the day, Giaimo was on the green in two strokes, brilliantly striking a wedge shot inside Baker’s third-shot chip that rolled within 10 feet. The Hillies captain made his up-and-down putt for par before Giaimo nailed his birdie putt to earn the tournament’s medalist honors.

“It is not unprecedented, but it’s tough to win both,” said Sheridan on his squad’s dual conference championships this fall. “Any team or golfer can have a really good day or bad day in a one-day event, but if you go with your top performers, they should come through.”

The Warriors did just that Wednesday while contending with cool morning temperatures and sporadic wind gusts across the picturesque nine-hole city of Lowell course.

Team scores were compiled using the top three cards for each squad. Cote was just a stroke behind Giaimo for the Warriors, tying for third overall with Billerica senior Jake Cataldo, both posting 76 scores, while the tandem of Dunham and Jenney turned in rounds of 79 for Andover.

“Winning the regular season proves you’re consistent over two months,” said Sheridan. “But coming out and taking the championship tournament shows you can execute when everything is on the line in a single afternoon. To win both in the same year is really special, and this group will be remembered for years to come.”

That’s especially true for captains Giaimo and Jenney.

Giaimo, who qualified as an individual for Monday’s Division 1 state final match at Wellesley Country Club with a 7-over 81 in the North sectional on the challenging Black Swan course, led the entire MVC in scoring this season, averaging just 1.824 strokes over par across 10 conference matches. Meanwhile, Jenney closed out a dominant four-year career for the Golden Warriors by averaging 3.669 strokes over par in conference matches, consistently giving Andover a second low score it could count on each match.

“This group set high standards for themselves from Day 1,” Sheridan said, “and seeing them complete the sweep is a huge reward for how hard they worked all offseason. This group set a high bar for future Andover golfers.”

Chelmsford finished as runner-up for the team title, a stroke ahead of Central Catholic. Meanwhile, MVC II regular-season champion Lowell, led by juniors Michael Rillovick and Brodie Anderson‘s identical rounds of 6-over 78, claimed fourth overall, three strokes in front of North Andover.

“The coaches in this conference set the bar pretty high for their teams and their expectations are to win,” Sheridan said. “With the future changes the MIAA has in store (for golf), it’s difficult to predict the future of the league and how we’ll perform with the new realignment, but we are ready for the challenge.

“The future of golf in our conference is extremely bright with the depth of young talent across all these rosters. The league is only going to get tougher and more exciting in the coming years.”