It didn’t take long for Adriana Seravalli to make a name for herself at Nazareth Academy.
In fact, she was a star on the Pandas golf team before she ever stepped foot in the school as a student.
That’s nothing new to the Winchester Park native, who has been golfing for most of her life.
“My dad got me into golf at age 7, so I was pretty young,” said Seravalli, now a sophomore at Nazareth. “He started playing when he was in his 20s or 30s, and we belong to Union League Golf Club. I’ve been a member there, he got us in. I played junior matches there.
“I felt like I had a real accomplishment when I was 10 years old. I made it pretty far in a big tournament. I played at Oakmont in the regionals.”
She made it to the brink of the finals when she was 10. Another tournament victory, and she would have qualified for the Junior Masters.
It was her first taste of success on the greens.
Since then, it’s been fairly common.
And she’s helped the Pandas take the Catholic League by storm.
Last year was Nazareth’s first season competing against Catholic League opponents, and the Pandas putted and drove their way to a Catholic League championship.
It was the first championship Nazareth competed for, and it ended up being its first championship. That made it pretty special.
It also was nice for Seravalli to get comfortable playing high school golf against the top players – both boys and girls – in the league.
“When I got here I wasn’t nervous about the golf part,” said Seravalli, who is once again one of the top golfers in the league after helping win the championship a year ago. “I was more nervous about being able to bond with the team, but I didn’t know what I was getting into. Who would we be playing? I found out we went from all Academies League to the PCL. I didn’t know what to expect. I found out we got our schedule playing the boys teams.
“We were playing La Salle, Devon Prep. And we would go to matches and I would just play the best I could. There were a lot of people who were surprised that someone from Nazareth was doing pretty well because it’s not a popular sport in our school or in this area for girls. They play it more in the suburbs.”
Seravalli isn’t proving she’s a good girls golfer.
She’s proving that she’s a great golfer.
“I think people are surprised when we do well,” said Seravalli, who is among the top girls golfers in the area and often shoots lower than her male opponents. “Even the boys schools that we play are shocked. Nobody expects us to be good, at least they didn’t until we played them. They don’t send their A team sometimes when they play girl schools, they send B team. So when we beat them, they’re definitely shocked.”
Golf has been more than just a game for Seravalli and her family.
Dad plays. Mom also does.
So does her older brother Angelo, who is a star at Holy Ghost Prep.
It’s not unusual for the kids to square off against mom and dad, and the games can get pretty competitive.
The games are getting closer and closer.
“It’s definitely fun because it’s all I’ve ever known, golf has always been a big thing to us,” she said. “When we were younger, we would come up from the shore and golf on Sunday. I would tell my friends, and they’d say, ‘Your whole family golfs?’ It’s all I’ve ever known. It wasn’t popular, but it’s gotten more popular. I love it. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
For golf anyway.
When the winter gets cold, she turns in her clubs and hits the gym where she plays for the Nazareth basketball team.
Last year, she played junior varsity. The Pandas also enjoyed success in this sport, advancing to the Catholic League semifinals.
“I played at St. Jerome’s CYO,” Seravalli said. “I play anything they need, mostly guard. I can bring the ball up and set the plays. I do whatever we need.
“Last year was great. I wasn’t on varsity, but they did great. I had fun. I love Nazareth. It’s great. I went to Nazareth grade school and it was so small. I was worried, but I have made a lot of friends. It’s been great.”
Now she just hopes to help the Pandas continue their reign of dominance in the Catholic League.
The Pandas still have to compete for the league championship, then the golfers will see what they can do in individual tournaments.
Golf season is heating up and Seravalli is excited to see what lies ahead.
“Last year was great because it was so unexpected,” Seravalli said. “It was fun because everyone at the school was excited, saying congratulations. It would be great to win again. It’s tough, there are good golfers out there, but we have a good team.”
