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Libertyville edges Carmel for regional title

In a girls golf season that has seen both teams win conference championships, Carmel Catholic and Libertyville took aim Wednesday at flexing flagsticks, not necessarily each other, despite the proximity of the two schools.

"It's not what you might think," Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen said with a laugh. "No war on (Rte.) 176 or anything like that."

Libertyville won the friendly battle, the Class AA Carmel regional, on a gusty day in Waukegan. Led by medalist Simone Mikaelian's 83, the North Suburban Conference-champion Wildcats carded a 344 to best runner-up Carmel (364) by 20 strokes at Bonnie Brook Golf Course.

"We knew that they would be gunning for us," Pedersen said of the East Suburban Catholic Conference champs. "We're just happy to win the regional. It's an honor to win the regional. Carmel's a really good team. They've got a lot of good players. They're going to be dangerous at sectionals."

Grayslake's first-year co-op secured the final sectional berth with a 393, five strokes better than fourth-place Marian Central.

"The goal was to beat Marian Central to get third," said senior Ireland Dunne, who led Grayslake with a 93. "We did it as a team. It was good. Everyone pulled their weight."

The sophomore Mikaelian was a two-shot winner over sophomore teammate Megan Sturonas and Carmel junior Alexa Amato, both of whom shot an 85. Wauconda senior Annette Yandall (87) was one of 10 golfers to secure an individual berth in Monday's sectional at Bittersweet Golf Club in Gurnee.

Mikaelian, who was the NSC medalist on the same course last week, was the only golfer to break 40 on one of the nine-hole layouts, as she fired a 39 on the front.

"I putted really well (on the front)," said Mikaelian, who closed with a 44 on the back nine. "It was really windy, but we all seemed to do well."

Junior Maggie Piazzi added a season-best 87 for Libertyville to tie Yandall for fourth, while senior Jessica Lovinger shot an 89 for the Wildcats. Junior Katherine Stegman (90) and senior Sara Keefe (94) also played well for Libertyville, considering the high winds.

"We were steady and consistent, and motivated," Pedersen said. "All six of them played really well. We like to say that we're a deep team. Conditions didn't bother them. We talked about having no big holes. 'If you have a bad shot, you move on and just keep going.' They all handled it. There were no big scores on any of the score cards."

Amato shot a 40 on the front nine, as she one- or two-putted every hole and hit most greens in regulation, she said. But the wind picked up in the afternoon, and she settled for a 45 on the back.

"I'm actually pretty proud of it," Amato said of her round. "At first, I thought 85 was kind of rough, but the wind was really strong."

Carmel junior Kayla Ryan shot a 90, which included a solid 43 on the front. Sophomore Erin Kehoe carded a 94 for the Corsairs, who also received matching 95s from junior Eva Savovich and sophomore Natalie Lindquist.

"We've been the underdogs to Libertyville for a long time," Amato said. "Libertyville did great this year. We were excited to play them today, and they did well. They always do well."

Grayslake also counted junior Kara Ahlemeyer's 95, senior Kim Balling's 96 and sophomore Dhani McDowell's 109. Dunne - who played in the final group with Mikaelian, Amato and Marian Central sophomore Sophia Archos (90) - shot a 44 on the front and 49 on the back.

"Not my best round, but it was a tough day," Dunne said. "It was a very long day. We got here at 8 (a.m.), and our tee time wasn't until 10:39 (a.m.), so we were sitting around all morning. The wind was ridiculous - 20-30 mph winds. You couldn't control your ball, and the greens were just crazy. The greens looked perfectly flat, and then you'd hit (the putt) and it would just roll to the opposite direction.

"This is a very tough course," Dunne added. "So I think we all did very well."

Defending regional-champ Mundelein (407) placed fifth in the 10-team field. The Mustangs got through senior Holly Petlak (93) and freshman Jenny Dimitriou (99), while Warren (426, seventh) advanced junior Izzy Cordova (94) and senior Erica Price (95).

Brianna Burgeson made history for Grant, as the junior became the first female golfer from her school to qualify for sectionals. Her 98, which was three strokes off her season best, included a 48 on the back nine.

"I'm really psyched about doing this," said Burgeson, who was almost at a loss for words. "I'm a little nervous."

Burgeson started playing golf only two years ago, when Grant's team was just starting up.

"My friend actually tried talking me into (trying out), and then she didn't show up for tryouts," Burgeson said. "So I was the only freshman on the team. ... Two days before tryouts, I went to the driving range, and then the day before I went to the putting greens."

Monday, Burgeson will roll putts in a sectional tournament.

  Grayslake co-op Ireland Dunne lines up her putt on the first hole during the girls golf tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.comCarmel Catholic's Alexa Amato tees off on the second hole during the regional girls golf tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan.
  Libertyville golfer Megan Sturonas hits off the fairway on the first hole during the regional girls golf tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake co-op golfer Kim Balling tees off on the first hole during the regional girls golf tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Erica Price hits from the fairway on the first hole during the regional girls golf tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Wauconda's Annette Yandall tees off on the second hole during the regional girls golf tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Warren golfer Izzy Cordova putts on the first hole during the regional girls golf tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Megan Wiese chips up onto the green on the first hole during the regional tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Carmel Catholic golfer Kayla Ryan shoots from the green on the first hole during the regional tournament Wednesday at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
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