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DiPaolo family going to girls’ state golf tournament as members of Ryle’s regional champion team


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Nick DiPaolo bought a set of golf clubs for each of his three daughters when they were old enough to play the game and he spent countless hours helping them develop their skills on the course.

Ryle golf coach Nick DiPaolo

But none of them ever called him “coach” until a few months ago. That’s when Ryle High School put DiPaolo in charge of the girls’ golf team that includes his three daughters.

“It was something I always wanted to do since the girls were younger and I just couldn’t believe the opportunity came about,” DiPaolo said. “We weren’t sure how the school was going to feel about a parent being the coach, but they were very supportive so it all worked out.”

It worked out so well that Ryle won the Region 6 championship for the second consecutive year and earned a return trip to the Kentucky state tournament that begins Thursday at Bowling Green Country Club.

The Raiders placed sixth in last year’s state tournament and the new coach said they have the potential to finish higher on the leader board in this week’s season finale.

“The whole team has just been working so hard and it’s been so neat to see (their success) because of all the time and effort they’ve been putting into this,” DiPaolo said.

Ryle golfers posing with the Region 7 championship trophy are (left to right): Olivia DiPaolo, Caitlyn Richardson, Brooke DiPaolo, Sophia DiPaolo and Kaitlyn Skaggs.

“We instituted a new schedule this year and played in some really tough tournaments with good fields. I think that really helped us. The girls accepted the challenge and going into the conference and regional (tournaments) they just looked so comfortable out there.”

One week after winning the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference title, the Raiders turned in one of the most impressive team performances in the history of the regional tournament.

With all five golfers among the top seven scorers, Ryle posted a 304 team total that was 60 strokes better than second-place St. Henry. It’s the lowest team score and widest margin of victory recorded in the girls’ regional tournament over the last 20 years.

The team leader was junior Olivia DiPaolo with a 71, followed by sophomore Caitlyn Richardson (75), senior Brooklynn DiPaolo (78) and junior Kaitlyn Skaggs (80). Sophia DiPaolo, a seventh-grader and youngest of the three sisters in the Ryle lineup, took seventh place with an 84, but only the top four scores counted in the team total.

“They went into it like it was just another tournament,” the coach said. “They each played their game and were ready for it. It was fun to see.”

DiPaolo owns a financial planning firm. He had to adjust his work schedule to handle the coaching duties and got a lot of help from his wife, Lora, who is the team’s assistant coach.

So the entire DiPaolo family will be making the trip to Bowling Green this week as members of the Ryle girls’ golf team. They hope to return with a trophy, but the first-year head coach said it’s been a successful season no matter how it ends.

“All the girls are just fantastic,” he said. “They’re all hard workers and we’re very fortunate to be in this position. That’s the neat thing, the camaraderie and cohesiveness they have. From jayvee to varsity, we brought them all together as one team and they all pull for each other.”

The boys’ state high school golf tournament begins Tuesday with Ryle, Covington Catholic and Highlands in the 24-team field. The girls’ state tournament tees off on Friday with 22 teams in the running, including Ryle and St. Henry.

After the first round in the boys’ tournament, the 12 teams with the lowest scores and 20 individual qualifiers with the lowest scores will advance to Wednesday’s final round.

After the first round in the girls’ tournament, the 11 teams with the lowest scores and 20 individual qualifiers with the lowest scores will advance to Saturday’s final round.

 

 


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