The Rye Boys Golf team returns their six starters from the 2025 season, meaning anything short of defending their league title would be somewhat disappointing. Led by Pat Romano in his 30th year, the Garnets are poised to be a top contender in 2026 after a 13-1-1 showing last spring.
“We are very excited about the upcoming season,” Romano told MyRye.com before the season. “We have a lot of players with match experience.”
The best returner is junior Derek Bisceglia, who qualified for the State tournament last year and will serve as the newest team captain. “Derek does a great job of leading by example, and the younger kids respect and look up to him,” Romano said.
Behind him, a large group of underclassmen will contribute to team success, including a sophomore class of Ryan Mascali, Graham Erickson, Ryker Kevorkian, Lawton Wydra, Rocco DeFife, and Evan Dolan. Charlie Molloy and Ben Martin, both freshman, will also have a chance to see some match action if they can perform will enough in practice. The Garnets are very deep and very young.
“We have a lineup in which any player 1-6 can be the low golfer on any given day,” the veteran head coach told MyRye.com. “Derek, Ryan, Graham, Ryker, Lawton and Rocco all qualified for sectionals last year, and Derek qualified for the State tournament.”
The Garnets have several exciting challenges ahead on their schedule for 2026, including two league matchups with Harrison, a contest against perennial powerhouse Scarsdale, and a matchup with crosstown rival Rye Country Day. After the regular season, Rye will send its best lineup to the team sectional tournament, during which athletes like Bisceglia and the slew of talented sophomores will look to qualify for the individual State tournament. The Garnets are expected to be a top contender in both their league and section, and could send more than just one participant to states in 2026.
