Scouting DuPage County girls golf
Top teams: Hinsdale Central, Wheaton Warrenville South, Naperville North, Downers Grove North, Benet, Neuqua Valley, Naperville Central, Wheaton Academy, Waubonsie Valley, Metea Valley.
Top athletes: Addison Trail: Kelsey Bauers, sr., Francessca Capparelli, soph., Sara Gagliano, soph., Ally Galvan, sr.; Benet: Annie Arnold, sr.; Lauren Beaudreau, fr., Abby Bitto, jr.; Downers Grove North: Annie Bedalov, jr., Gracie Holler, jr., Courtney Katz, sr., Rachel Levcuta, jr.; Downers Grove South: Leah Crandell, sr., Laura Funk, sr., Morgan Meyer, sr., Emily Tom, sr; Fenton: Kayla Kaspari, sr.; Glenbard East: Grace Ludwig, sr.; Gillian Ostrowski, sr., Olivia Sterling, sr.; Glenbard North: Talia Albiter, soph., Alexandra Baertschi, jr., Rebecca Ellers, jr., Samantha King, sr.; Glenbard South: Amanda Carroll, sr., Logan Fenhouse, sr., Elena Kozak, jr., Alexa Mittendahl, sr.; Glenbard West: Sarah Delang, sr., Samantha Moody, soph., Cori Szabo, sr.; Hinsdale Central: Erin Bruns, sr., Maria Harrast, jr., Roshanna Gaur, jr., Jessica Lee, jr., Selina Zeng, jr.; Hinsdale South: Jaclyn Hoffstetter, sr., Jasmine Jaramillo, sr., Mikaela Soderholm, sr.; IC Catholic Prep: Maddie Hurt, jr.; Lake Park: Julia Caesar, sr., Nicole Hansen, soph., Brooke Maloney, jr., Rachel O'Neill, jr.; Lisle: Hanna Altpeter, sr., Bella Daly, sr., Kelsey Liss, sr., Savanna Zink, sr.; Metea Valley: Erin Foster, sr., Katelyn Kline, sr.; Naperville Central: Lydia DeMoss, sr., Heather Griffin, sr., Renee Lau, jr., Stephanie Robinson, sr.; Naperville North: AJ Barr, jr., Hannah McDaniel, soph., Lauren Nay, soph., Jaycie Waite, sr.; Neuqua Valley: Kiwi Ferrarelli, sr., Julia Riner, jr., Lauren Rouck, sr., Jessica Yuen, sr.; St. Francis: Meg Bormann, sr., Thaia Garcia, soph., Hailey Strickland, soph., Olivia Saccameno, sr.; Timothy Christian: Anita Duncan, sr., Grace Veenstra, fr.; Waubonsie Valley: Kerrigan Buse, soph., Kayla McHale, sr., Alyssa Sibley, sr., Arushi Singh, soph.; West Chicago: Meghan Koester, soph., Sam Michiels, sr., Barbara Richert, sr., Allison Wagner, sr.; Wheaton Academy: Meredith Bult, jr., Hailey Farmer, sr., Chrislyn Herring, jr., Lauren Isenhart, jr.; Wheaton North: Lilly Kvasnicka, jr., Maddie Stevens, soph., Samira Tungare, sr., Matti Zander, soph.; Wheaton Warrenville South: Annalee Dannegger, jr., Priya Desai, jr., Emma Field, jr., Julia Hauenstein, sr., Sarah Hauenstein, soph., Hadley Moritz, soph.; Willowbrook: Olivia Hartshorn, jr., Maggie Karcz, jr., Sophia Parrillo, soph., Judie Travsch, jr.; York: Tarryn Becker, jr., Megan Beckman, sr., Ellen Foley, sr., Christine Millens, jr.
Scouting report: Jessica Yuen and Bing Singhsumalee could very well have been teammates. But the opening of the third Indian Prairie high school, Metea Valley, shifted the girls' ultimate destination. Instead of forming a peerless juggernaut for Neuqua Valley, Singhsumalee applied her considerable golfing skills at Waubonsie Valley.
"We talked about it," Yuen said. "(Singhsumalee) lived closer to Neuqua than Waubonsie. I knew if we would have been teammates, we would have had a blast. Unfortunately, the boundaries changed."
"Bing had such an illustrious career," Neuqua Valley coach John Keller said of the University of Illinois' top recruit this fall. But it was Yuen who had the final say during the players' three-year rivalry. At the rain-shortened Class AA girls tournament three years ago, Yuen tied for runner-up. The last two years on the highest stage in the sport of girls golf, Yuen and Singhsumalee were in a different league. Singhsumalee dominated the first two state preliminaries in quest for an elusive first state championship with blistering sub-70 scores a year ago. But the two-day state tournament in Decatur proved to be a replay of the 2013 championship. Singhsumalee was once again dazzling, only to see Yuen play flawlessly on the final Saturday of the season to complete back-to-back state championships. Singhsumalee had to settle for second-place results both years.
"The thing about golf is you can't play defense against what the other players do," Keller said. "Bing didn't do anything wrong. Jess just played a little better. When you get to the state tournament, you can play well and not win."
Yuen, who orally committed to Missouri over offers from Big Ten schools Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Purdue during the summer, has authored a resume arguably unmatched since the sport was first recognized by the IHSA. "Even if (Yuen) stopped playing golf right now, I think she would be considered one of the best players in Illinois girls golf history," Keller said. "I don't know if anyone else has ever had a state runner-up and two state championships." After finishing the truncated 2012 state tournament in level par, Yuen has won the last two state finals with matching 36 totals of 2-under par. "I don't know what the difference is (at the state tournament)," Yuen said. "At state I always arise to the occasion. I am comfortable at state. The challenge brings out the best in me. I'm not trying to make history. I think the most important thing is staying in the moment." In what must be considered one of the great anomalies in recent history, Yuen remarkably has never won an individual conference championship. "Bing won twice, and I lost to (former St. Charles North star) Ariana (Furrie) in a playoff (as a freshman) Yuen said." But Yuen and her Neuqua Valley teammates departed the Upstate Eight Conference last spring to join the DuPage Valley Conference. The two leagues have produced multiple state-qualifying teams in recent years behind the likes of Wheaton Warrenville South, Naperville North, Waubonsie Valley and the two St. Charles high schools.
It proved to be a weekend to remember last fall in Decatur as Hinsdale Central claimed its first state title to give the area bookend titles. In a fitting irony Wheaton Warrenville South was fourth in the team competition. The perennial powers have combined for 19 state appearances since the turn of the century, and the schools enter the season as the two programs to watch. But they are far from alone. Hinsdale Central and WW South return 10 of their 12 state performers from a year ago.
"I am looking forward to see them playing this year," WW South coach Art Tang said. The Tigers lost record-setting two-time defending conference champion Kelly Anderson to Northern Illinois University, but Tang has Dannegger, Desai and the talented Hauenstein siblings in quest of a second straight title. The DuPage Valley and West Suburban will boast the heavyweights for the area this fall. "You never talk about winning a state championship," Hinsdale Central coach Nick Latorre said. "The girls have played very well my first two years as coach."
"Our conference is always so good," York coach Barb Tilden said. "It's always so tough with Hinsdale (Central) and LaGrange (Lyons Twp.). They're always right there at state." Downers North is another team to watch this year. "It's been the best (North team) in a long time," Trojans coach Jackie McCormick said.
Naperville Central coach Jane Thompson is not ready to concede WW South a back-to-back championship in the DVC. "Naperville North will be very tough with their consistency and depth," Thompson said. "If I have one girl who isn't playing well, I have others who can pick up the slack," said Naperville North coach Greta Williams, searching for a second team state trip in the last three years. "I feel like of my top six or seven girls, any of them can go low."
Waubonsie Valley enters the DuPage Valley returning four members from its first state-qualifying unit since 1996. "Our numbers are up this year," Waubonsie Valley coach Jack Farner said. "The real challenge this year is going to be to get that fourth score to be successful." Metea Valley senior Kline is seeking a fourth consecutive Class AA appearance.
Benet freshman Beaudreau is undeniably the top newcomer after opening the year with back-to-back championships, including the Naperville city title. "From what I understand, it was the record for the Marian Catholic Invite at Coyote Run (Monday)," Benet coach Mike Bremner said. "We were excited about Lauren long before she arrived. She is a special player."
Fenton senior Kaspari is a player to watch; the lone female in the program will play No. 4 on the boys team this fall before the girls state series commences. Wheaton Academy is the best bet among Class A programs this season.
Key dates: Aug. 26, Aurora City Tournament; Sept. 4, LaSalle-Peru Invitational; Sept. 12, Waukegan Invitational; Sept. 12, Normal Community Invitational; Sept. 19, Providence Catholic Celtic Swing; Sept. 19, Rockford Guilford Invitational; Sept. 26, Naperville North Rosie Invitational; Week of Sept. 28, Conference championships; Oct. 1, Waubonsie Valley Breast Cancer Awareness Invitational; Oct. 3, Rosary Invitational.
- Kevin McGavin