Mikaelian, Libertyville climb to the top in NSC
Even the best golfers top a shot, say, once a year.
"I do it more often than you'd probably think," Libertyville's Simone Mikaelian said with a sheepish laugh.
On Bonnie Brook Golf Course's par-3 No. 3 Tuesday, Mikaelian topped her tee shot, which landed in the bottom of a pond. She carded a rare double-bogey.
The best golfers, however, don't lament topped shots, other bad ones or bad holes. By the end of the North Suburban Conference meet, Mikaelian was the top golfer, topped shot and all. Her 80 earned her the inaugural Marlene Miller medalist honor, as the sophomore finished 1 stroke better than senior Annette Yandall, who was the only golfer representing Wauconda.
Led by the 5-foot-3 Mikaelian and other all-conference rounds from Megan Sturonas (88, sixth), Katherine Stegman (93, 10th) and Jessica Lovinger (95, 16th), Libertyville capped off a perfect NSC season by capturing the conference championship with a 356. Stevenson (372), which lost its dual meet against Libertyville on a sixth-score tiebreaker, was second. Lake Forest (377), Vernon Hills (381) and Mundelein (394) completed the top five.
"It takes tremendous dedication and focus to win the title in this competitive conference," said coach Greg Pedersen, whose 14-0 Wildcats went 9-0 in the NSC. "I'm proud of our kids for responding to the pressure of not letting anyone catch them."
Golfers teed off in somewhat chilly weather, before the sun popped out. It later misted.
"It was very cold in the beginning," Yandall said. "I actually had my gloves on and hand-warmers."
Yandall started her round by bogeying the seventh, before sinking a birdie putt on No. 9. She shot a 37 on the front nine and 44 on the back. She was playing in just her second tournament against girls this season.
Since Wauconda does not have a girls team, Yandall tees it up against the boys - and hits from the same tees - in dual meets. She was the medalist the last two years in the Wauconda-Grant match, and last week she had the second-best score in a dual meet.
"I do like playing with the boys. They do push me," said a smiling Yandall, who placed sixth in the girls county meet, which was also at Bonnie Brook. "(Tuesday) was nice to come out and actually have girl-to-girl conversations. The boys are funny."
Mikaelian teed off on No. 1 and double-bogeyed the par-4 hole. Two holes later she penciled down her 5 on the par 3.
"I was like eight-over by 6," Mikaelian said. "The front nine was really challenging."
She had a 43 after nine holes, but rebounded to finish with a 37 on the back.
"I really didn't do anything different," Mikaelian said. "I just didn't think of the other holes."
Lake Forest's Emily Young finished alone in third with an 82, while Lake Zurich senior Aine Mattera shot an 85 to place fourth.
"It could have gone a little better," Mattera said. "I made some mistakes with my short game. My driving was good. I hit a lot of shots in the fairway. My irons were OK. I didn't have a lot of greens in regulation, but my putting was pretty good compared to my chipping."
Stevenson had five golfers earn all-NSC honors, led by Alexia Fidman with an 89 (seventh). The runner-up Patriots also received 94s from Olivia Stomberg (12th) and Myra Peterson (13th), a 95 from Dhruvi Mehta (14th) and 97 from Stephanie Namkoong (21st). Other all-conference rounds were turned in by Vernon Hills' trio of Faith Jung (88, fifth), Kari Lee (91, ninth) and Mary Paulson (96, 19th); Lake Forest's McKenna Shea (90, eighth) and Lena Benjakul (95, 15th); Warren's Erica Price (93, 11th); and Mundelein's Isabella Loverde (96, 17th) and Megan Wiese (97, 20th).
NSC coaches decided to name the medalist award in honor of Marlene Miller, who retired last season after coaching at Lake Forest for 37 years. She started the girls program.
"She was a pioneer for women's golf in Illinois," Lake Forest athletic director Tim Burkhalter said. "We were blessed to have her all of those years."