Front row, from left, are dad Gene Galantini, Samantha Galantini and mom Amy Galantini. Back row, from left, are Acting Athletic Director Stephan Zichella, Principal Hayden Moore and Golf Coach Tom Gargiulo.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange High School star golfer Samantha Galantini has signed with Quinnipiac University. A ceremony celebrating the signing was held at the high school on Nov. 16 and attended by family, friends, and fellow athletes.
“Samantha has impressed me more than many other athletes,” said acting Athletic Director Stephan Zichella. “She is a true champion.”
“I am signing with Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. Quinnipiac is a Division I women’s golf team that competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (“MAAC”), began Galantini. “I chose to sign with Quinnipiac as it is a great overall fit for me. The campus is beautiful, the location is close to home, and it feels like the perfect place for me. The coaches and teammates were very nice and welcoming to me and I felt like it was where I belong.”
Galantini plans on majoring in business. One of the things that caused her to choose Quinnipiac was their strong business school and their four-year accelerated master’s program. At WOHS, Galantini is a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, an officer in the Italian Honor Society, and a member of the Italian Club.
“I learned golf from my mom and dad and practice and play regularly with my brother, Tyler, who is a 2019 West Orange High School graduate and current captain of the Wagner College men’s golf team,” she said. Tyler Galantini was the first WOHS state champion in golf.
Galantini said she is captain of the WOHS coed golf team, which won the Super Essex Conference–Liberty Division championship last spring under head coach Tom Gargiulo.
“I have competed for the team the last two seasons; there was no season my freshman year due to COVID,” she said. “I will be competing again this spring as a senior. In my junior year, I was the lower player in every match that West Orange High School competed in. I finished first as an individual in the SEC–Liberty Division Tournament, shooting a 67, my lowest round ever. I also finished in third place in the New Jersey State High School girls golf championship and received all-state recognition.,”
Outside of the high school team, Galantini has competed in many junior golf tournaments locally and nationally, including qualifying for the Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals in 2021 at Augusta National, and being named the 2020 NJPGA Junior Tour Girls Player of the Year.
“You have been terrific as a West Orange High School representative,” noted Principal Hayden Moore. “Quinnipiac is lucky to have you and anything you do at the next level is a great representation of what happens at WOHS.”
“I feel excited about signing with Quinnipiac as I am looking forward to the college experience and I am thrilled about the opportunity to play golf and go to school there,” Galantini said. “I want to thank my parents, my brother, and my golf coach, Tom Gargiulo, for helping me with this journey and supporting me every step of the way in this process.”
Photos Courtesy of WOHS
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