Northwest/ Girls golf preview

Nine golfers who finished in the top 15 at the MSL meet are back this fall #8212; Prospect#146;s Allison Walsh (79, tie for first), Fremd#146;s Angie Kim (82, tie for fourth), Barrington#146;s Sammy Carman (84, tie for sixth), Buffalo Grove#146;s Grace Kil (86, eighth), Hersey#146;s Nikki Gierman (87, ninth), Prospect#146;s Christine Garmoe (88, tie for 12th), Prospect#146;s Noreen Caporusso (88, tie for 12th), Schaumburg#146;s Emily Santucci (90, 15th).

New faces in charge

Fremd coach and former Barrington standout softball player Christine Vlaming gave birth to Henry Albert on July 2, so assistant Jeremy Malinowski has stepped in to help out as the head coach. #147;I#146;m a glamorous assistant,#148; said Malinowski about his duties this fall. Malinowski wrestled and played soccer at Lake Zurich and attended Eastern Illinois. He has been in the art department at Fremd for 12 years. Schaumburg coach Michelle Hinojosa also gave birth to a boy last Sunday so assistant Gabrielle Drafall will help out. Drafall was a three-sport athlete for the Saxons.

At Elk Grove, boys athletic director Jon Rowley takes over the program. He has been at Elk Grove for 12 years and this will be his first stint as a varsity head coach. Rowley played baseball and basketball at Hersey but he has played golf for many years. Former Palatine varsity football coach and Lake Zurich varsity baseball coach Bill LePage takes over the Pirates#146; program. LePage, who has taught for 15 years in the Palatine social studies department, is following in his father#146;s footsteps. Francis LePage was Bill#146;s golf coach at Elkton-Piegon Bay Port High School in Michigan where he quarterbacked the football team. LePage will also be the assistant to Palatine girls basketball varsity coach Leslie Schock this winter. LePage#146;s uncle Bernard was the president of Florida State University and hired Bobby Bowden as its football coach.

Tim Teegarden takes over at Hoffman Estates for Fred Bryant, who retired after 35 years teaching and 19 directing the girls golf program. Teegarden has worked in the Hoffman math department for 29 years. At Crete-Monee, he played football, basketball and baseball and one year of golf. He has coached all those sports at the high school level except golf. #147;Now I can say I coached all the sports I played in high school,#148; he said with a laugh.

Fore in a row?

Prospect is shooting for its fourth straight MSL crown under coach Jim Hamann, who is in his seventh season. The Knights were also regional champs in 2006 and fourth in the Class AA state finals last fall. Hamann#146;s teams have gone 91-10 in non-invitational meets (quads, tri and dual meets) and the coach has produced 11 individual state qualifiers. Seven grads have played collegiate golf. Prospect broke the 18-hole school record earlier this week with a 308 in a dual meet with Loyola at the Mt. Prospect Golf Course. #147;Our kids played a ton of golf this summer and had tons of success,#148; said Hamann, who was a scholarship golfer at Eastern Illinois. #147;These girls would not be where they#146;re at now without the support of the Mt. Prospect Golf Course, Mt. Prospect Park District and their golf teachers, including Tim Caspar (assistant coach) and John Elliott (teaching professional). #147;They are really excited about the season. We have five girls back who played downstate and another five who have worked real hard to be in the lineup. Hopefully everyone is pushing each other during the season.#148; Hamann said. Sarah Scaccia had a tremendous offseason and was an Illinois Women#146;s Golf Association match play champion. #147;Sarah is going to be one of our leaders,#148; Hamann said. #147;She is highly motivated and is going to get better. I know she will be a big part of our team.#148; The Knights have not lost an MSL dual meet since 2007 when it fell to Barrington. #147;The kids take a lot of pride in our conference matches,#148; Hamann said. #147;There is a lot of talent and new coaches in our conference this season. It will be a lot of fun with a lot of good young players. All of the coaches in the MSL do a tremendous job.#148;

Schoeck hits 25 years

Barrington Hall of Fame coach Jodi Schoeck begins her 25th season. She was named the 2009 National High School Coach of the Year and has guided the Fillies to 11 MSL titles, 12 regional titles and nine appearances in the state finals, including a third-place finish in 1996. Schoeck, whose team was second in the MSL meet and regional last fall, is excited about this season#146;s prospects. #147;We#146;re really excited about the group that came out,#148; she said. #147;We have a big group of freshman. The kids are really energized and pumped up. I think it will be a lot of fun.#148;

Golf anyone?

Barrington sophomore Heather Ciskowski was playing No. 1 doubles in the state tennis meet last fall. Her love for golf resulted in a switch this fall and she made quite an introduction. Ciskowski fired a 75 and placed second to state contender Grace Kil at Conant#146;s Early Bird tournament on Monday at the Fox Run Golf Links in Elk Grove. Freshman Julia Calbi also got off to a fast start for the Fillies, recording a 78 in the Early Bird. She tied for fourth with Fremd#146;s Angie Kim.

Ready again

Grace Kil, the MSL#146;s highest finisher in the 2010 state meet (seventh place), literally wasted no time showing she is ready for her junior season. Kil#146;s first swing of the season was a 236-yard drive that landed one foot from the par-4 16th hole at Fox Run Golf Links in Elk Grove. She went on to record a 72 to win the Early Bird tournament by 3 strokes. In middle school, Kil recorded a double eagle in a Chick Evans tournament in Rockford. #147;Grace had a great summer,#148; said Bison coach Matt Myers. #147;She played in a bunch of tournaments and had some top-five finishes. We#146;re very excited about this fall. She is geared up to go.#148;

Scenic summer

Allison Walsh, who tied for first in the 2010 MSL meet, got a real treat this summer. The Prospect senior qualified for the prestigious Callaway Junior World international championships in San Diego. While there, she got to play the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course in LaJolla, Calif. The scenic course sits on the coastal cliffs and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open over Rocco Mediate in a sudden death playoff on the seventh hole at Torrey Pines in 2008. #147;It was a really cool experience,#148; Walsh said. #147;And I loved getting to play with so many great players from everywhere.#148;

Lions den

St. Viator coach Mick Drewes has a few talented returning golfers as the Lions compete in the strong East Suburban Catholic Conference. As a freshman, Dana Gattone finished in the top 35 in the state last year so Drewes expects another fine campaign from the reigning ESCC Player of the Year. Junior Amy Stringfellow is a two-time all-conference selection. Drewes calls senior Molly O#146;Keefe a great leader. #147;She is a real support for our coaching staff,#148; he said. #147;We have a very small group of players but they are attentive and want to get better.#148;

State finals

The IHSA state finals will be Oct. 14-15 with Class A will be played at Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur while the AA will be hosted by Hickory Point Golf Course in nearby Forsyth. #147;I think the IHSA made a great decision moving the state finals to Decatur (for the first time last season),#148; said Prospect coach Jim Hamann. #147;The community and golf courses in Carbondale were fantastic, but Decatur is a much better location for all teams in the state. It#146;s much easier for all teams in the Chicagoland area to schedule pratuice rounds at the course during gthe summer months.#148; Hamann believes Hickory Point is a much more neutral golf course for all teams because of its location. #147;The golf course at Hickory Point is very fair and fun to play,#148; he added. #147;Hickory Point has a lot of experience in hosting big tournaments.#148; Hickory Point hosts a Women#146;s Futures Tour event every summer. #147;Red Tail Run is a very fun course to play as well,#148; Hamann said. #147;In addition I think hosting in Decatur allows a lot more parents, friends, athletic directors, principals, and media to attend, which is important to the kids and their families. I think it#146;s a great state finals.#148;