Girls golf: Prospect finishes fifth

Not too many girls golf teams can graduate three Division I golfers and return to the state finals the following season without one.

That's exactly what Prospect's girls golf team did, making its fifth straight trip to Decatur this weekend.

While the Knights may not have brought home a trophy this time, the fact they were even in contention for the team title after day one was a solid achievement.

On Saturday, Hinsdale Central pulled away from the field on the Hickory Point Golf Club and finished with a score of 634 to top Loyola (649), New Trier (653), Wheaton Warrenville South (661), Prospect (668) and Sandburg (678).

"Generally, we did not play well," said Knights coach Jim Hamann, whose teams have been among the top five in the state the last five years. "The whole team could have played better. Of our six cylinders, only one was firing and that is not going to get the job done.

"But the girls have a lot to be proud of. They kept improving all season and have a lot to celebrate. They competed like champions all season. Our school and community are very proud of this team. I am very proud of how we worked together as a team all season."

Senior Kacie O'Donnell shot a 79 and 83 (162) to lead the Knights, followed by senior Isabella Flack (84-84-168), sophomore Kate Ponzi (84-84-168) and sophomore Sabrina Accardi (84-97-181), senior Samantha Minasian (90-96-186) and senior Emma Dazzo (93-97-190).

Winning the individual crown for the second straight year was Neuqua Valley junior Jessica Yuen with a 2-under par 142. She was third as a freshman.

Yuen won by 2 strokes over Waubonsie Valley senior Bing Singhsumalee, who tied for second last fall.

Barrington sophomore Reena Sulkar carded a two-day total of 155, tying for eighth place, and becoming the first Filly to earn medalist honors since Caroline Kerns the early 2000s.

Sulkar, who won the Mid-Suburban title, tied for first in the regional and was third at her sectional, shot a 77 and 78 at Hickory Point.

"Reena maintained her focus (on Saturday) despite a couple of lip-outs," said Barrington coach Jodi Schoeck. "Her putting was really good on Friday. All-around, she really held things together and was really clicking off the tee.

"A couple of holes were her nemesis, but she fought through it. I'm thrilled for Reena. She played so strong and I am very proud of her."

The next highest finisher from the MSL was Fremd junior Haezi Jung, who tied for 25th with a 162. Her classmate JaeHee Hur tied for 38th with a 165.

"We're real proud of them," said Fremd coach Christine Vlaming of her top two players who were making their Decatur debuts. "It was windy and the course played a lot longer than it is. It was really exciting to watch Haezi and JaeHee play golf two days in a row."

Jung shot an 85 on Friday and came back on Saturday with 77 that included 2 birdies on Saturday.

"And she had a couple of near misses for birdies," Vlaming said. "Her short game was right on target. She was really fun to watch around the greens."

"The first day I was really nervous because it was my first time," Jung said. "The second day my coach just told me to go out and have fun so it went better. With the wind, I used one club up on almost every hole."

Hur's final two rounds of the season were an 81 and 84.

"It was fun," she said. "The best part was playing out there with all the state qualifiers. I didn't play my best. My shots weren't all working well but I had a lot of fun and it was a good experience."

Vlaming told her juniors it was an honor for them to play in the state finals.

"We are proud of how well they practice their games," she said. "And how they work so hard to keep getting better at golf."

MSL champ Prospect worked hard all season to improve it score and make a fifth straight trip to the state finals.

"One of our goals is to have as much fun as we can," Hamann said. "And I hope all the girls had a great time."

The Knights were teamed up with players from Maine South, which is coached by Hamann's brother, Jeff. The Knights and Hawks have annually played meets together during the regular season and know each other well.

"I got to be with my brother all day and my whole family was here," Jim Hamann said. "And my assistant (Tim Casper) had his family here. We had a lot of fan support. A lot of our junior varsity players were here, parents and people from school came down. We appreciate everyone's support."

Team captains O'Donnell and Flack played their final varsity matches.

"I'm going to remember all the girls on the team and the hard work we put in and where it got us," O'Donnell said. "It's been awesome. I've learned so much from everyone."

"I didn't play my best but I had so much fun," said Flack, who will play golf at Ferris State University in Michigan. "We got to play with the Maine South girls again and that was really fun."

Ponzi looks forward to two more years of fun in a program that has won two state crowns and a second-place trophy in the last four seasons.

"This was really exciting," said Ponzi, who wasn't even on the varsity a year ago. "The competition is on such a bigger scale but we came here prepared. The wind was a factor. We had to decide where to aim our shots. A lot of it was touch and feel. Every hole was different."

One thing was the same. The Knights were in Decatur for the fifth straight year.

Three other MSL individual players were playing in the state finals for the first time.

Conant senior Carly Bryeans and her teammate, junior Megan Nagorzanski, each shot 170.

Elk Grove's Erin Walz, also making her Decatur debut, finished with a 182.