Scouting DuPage County girls golf
Top area teams: Hinsdale Central, Benet, Wheaton Warrenville South, Metea Valley, Waubonsie Valley, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, St. Francis, Wheaton North.
Top returning athletes: Benet: Christy Callahan, (sr.), Emily Callahan (sr.), J.C. Craig, (sr.); Downers Grove North: Colleen Duffy, (sr.), Shannon Menard, (jr.); Downers Grove South: Tiffany Boak, (jr.), Liz Schwartzers, (sr.), Sara Uhlir, (sr.); Fenton: Jennifer Macko, (sr.); Glenbard East: Abby Cicone, (sr.), Megan Nelson, (sr.), Jana Payne, (jr.); Glenbard North: Denise DeJesus, (jr.), Pauline DeJesus (sr.), Bridget Everson (soph.), McKenzie Schwartze, (jr.); Glenbard West: Meredith Berk, (sr.), Emma Klimak, (soph.), Brooke Kochevar, (sr.), Ellen Nighbor, (jr.); Hinsdale Central: Colleen Ahern, (jr.), Jacqueline Bruns, (jr.), Rosanna Lederhausen, (jr.), Carlee Schwartz, (sr.); Hinsdale South: Brittany BeClouette, (sr.), Samantha Buddig, (soph.), Jessica Sachs, (jr.); Metea Valley: Amy Lundstram, (sr.), Anna Petersen (jr.), Natalya Schleebs (sr.), Alyna Vaughan (sr.); Naperville Central: Avleen Bhandal, (soph.), Sarah DeGeeter, (sr.), Courtney Pezza,(jr.), Lauren Satangelo, (jr.); Naperville North: Taylor Arenson, (soph.), Lauren Bruski, (sr.), Caroline Pierson, (soph.), Alex Warren, (jr.); Neuqua Valley: Kyleigh Dallner (jr.), Faith Goetz, (jr.), Keeley Nelson (sr.), Morgan Rogers, (fr.); St. Francis: Caroline French, (jr.), Sarah Pinns, (jr.), Meg VanThornout, (sr.); Waubonsie Valley: Emily Copeland, (soph.), Rebecca O’Bryan, (soph.), Bing Singhsumalee, (fr.), Courtney Williams, (jr.); Wheaton North: Hillary Barry, (sr.), Kelsey Lewandowski, (sr.), Brittany Pfaff, (jr.), Allee Schuzer, (sr.); Wheaton Warrenville South: Kelly Anderson, (fr.), Emily Johnson, (sr.), Renee Solberg, (sr.); Willowbrook: Melanie Ciancio, (sr.), Kate Fry, (sr.), Leah Kanic, (jr.), Alyson Scofield, (jr.).
Scouting report: Parity is perhaps the central theme to the area girls golf season. “There is no clear dominant team this year,” longtime Naperville Central coach Jane Thompson said. Hinsdale Central is the closest applicant for sustained excellence this fall. The Red Devils, third in Class AA last year, return three core players. Lederhausen, the last of the famed siblings — her older sister Alex was the 2006 Class AA state champion — at the traditional power headlines the returning state qualifiers. “Our big thing this year is to stay focused,” Hinsdale Central coach Janelle Marconi said. “Obviously, the biggest goal is to win the (West Suburban) conference championship. It would be great to be in the top three again (at state).”
Lederhausen is far from the lone attraction in the league, however, as Glenbard West senior Kochevar seeks a fourth consecutive trip to the state finals. “Brooke is always looking to better her last year’s standings,” Glenbard West coach Sarah Jung said. “We’re expecting her to that again this year.”
But the face of girls golf in the area could very well have a new superstar in Waubonsie Valley freshman Singhsumalee. “I’ve been hearing about her for the last three years,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jack Farnum said. Singhsumalee enters her first high school campaign as a virtual prodigy after dominating her age group at tournament on the state and even national levels. “Not a flaw in her game,” Farnum said. “She is an even better person. The drive she has is going to help the team. It’s going to force everybody (on our team) to get better. We are going to be a much better team in October.” The freshman sensation, who won all but one tournament she played in this spring and summer, won the Barrington Invitational and Naperville city championship earlier this week.
The DuPage Valley Conference will once again be prominently featured this season as one of the hotbeds of girls golf. Wheaton Warrenville South will look to Johnson and Solberg to ascend to yet another league title and potential team state berth. “We have a quality team this year,” WW South coach Art Tang said. “Our main goal is to get downstate as a team.” The Tigers invariably have had a freshman standout make immediate contributions, and Anderson is poised to assume the role this season for WW South.
Naperville Central will counter with DeGeeter, its lone returning state qualifier. “We’ll be competitive,” Thompson said. “(The players) need a little bit more seasoning at the conference (championship).”
Naperville North will look for Arenson to anchor its fortunes this fall. “Taylor is my best player,” coach Greta Williams said. Benet and Metea Valley offer compelling angles for possible inclusion in state finals talk. The Redwings won the Plainfield North invitational on Tuesday, and Metea Valley, which has its first class of seniors this fall, won the team title at the Naperville city tournament after placing second to Benet at Whitetail Ridge in Yorkville on Tuesday. “(Benet) is loaded,” said Hinsdale South coach Julie Sweet. The Callahans — not related — are the backbone of the Redwings’ squad. “I think winning the (East Suburban Catholic) conference will be tough because of Marian Catholic,” Benet coach Tony LaScala said. “I would like to win the (team) regional — that’s my main goal. If we don’t make it downstate with this team, I’ll never make it.”
Metea Valley, meanwhile, looks to approximate the model sister school Neuqua Valley made as a force in its infancy. “(The girls) have hit their stride with maturity,” Metea Valley coach Mark Jager said. “The girls have been really great in the practice rounds with their consistency.”
Neuqua Valley has a tremendous turnout to solidify its tradition-rich ranks. “I’m real pleased with the number of girls who came out for the team,” said John Keller, the only coach in program history. “We just have to develop some of the new players (to be successful).”
St. Francis could well benefit from a new IHSA classification for private schools; the Wheaton school was moved to Class A and will host a regional. VanThournout will look to assume the role three-time state qualifier Kayla Stueland performed with ease for the Spartans. “She is looking to get downstate after just missing out last year,” St. Francis coach Matt Walsh said of his top player.
Key Dates: Aug. 27, Hersey Invitational; Sept. 3, Homewood-Flossmoor Invitational; Sept. 10, Vernon Hills Invitational; Sept. 10, Waukegan Invitational; Sept. 17, Providence Catholic Invitational; Sept. 17, Rockford Guilford Invitational; Sept. 24, Naperville North Invitational; Week of Sept. 26, Conference tournaments; Oct. 1, Rosary Invitational.
Predicted state champions: Class A: Champaign St. Thomas More; Class AA: Highland Park.
— Kevin McGavin