Par for the Course

When a student athlete makes JV in grade 7 and varsity in grade 8, and then earns the title of Catholic Conference Champion by freshman year, you know you’ve got a real talent on your hands. That’s Joey Lenane, a senior Xaverian golfer who just wrapped up his career as the top high school player in New England, shooting a  2-under par 70 at the New England Championships this October. The competition brought together the top 12 players of each New England state, and Joey was the only golfer to finish under par in the 72-person event at the Mohegan Sun Golf Course.  

It all began when he was eight years old and, as he says, “bored.” He went out into his backyard and started hitting golf balls. On his ninth birthday, he received a set of clubs and began visiting the driving range. He’s progressed from there to now daily training, whether that’s hitting at home, at the range, or on the course. As a member of Xaverian’s Division-1 varsity golf team and also competing independently, Joey has made a name for himself. He helped the Hawks to a State Championship in 2018, and a Catholic Conference Championship in 2020 (there were no States due to COVID-19). Joey and the varsity Hawks won the South Sectional title in both 2019 and 2021, and he won the Catholic Conference tournament individual championships in both 2018 and 2019. He’s scored top finishes this fall competing as a junior, winning the Tarlow Invitational shooting 6 under par, and finishing in the top 10 at the Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational. While States didn’t go as planned with the team finishing in 3rd, he was grateful for the opportunity to compete at New Englands as an individual. 

“I didn’t do great at States this year,” he says. “I ended up three behind the medalist for the individual title, and we lost by three to St. John’s Prep for the team championship. That was tough. I felt like we had a good chance of winning this year; we just didn’t really piece it together when it mattered. But it was a good season, it was fun. And winning New Englands was a really nice way to go out, a nice way to end my high school career.” 

As he closes out his time as a Hawk, Joey looks forward to joining the Wolfpack at D1 North Carolina State next year.