Group effort leads to a Libertyville repeat in NSC
Take your pick.
Whomever you chose, it will be a talented player - the Libertyville girls golf team has uncommon depth.
"It's definitely a luxury. We have a lot of depth with seven girls in the rotation, and at any time, any one of their scores can count," said Wildcats coach Greg Pedersen, whose team fired a 348 to repeat as North Suburban Conference champs on a wet and blustery day at Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan.
The Cats also won the NSC regular-season crown with an unblemished 13-0 mark.
Last fall, Pedersen and his team just missed qualifying for state as a team. So they definitely have their sights on changing that heading into next week's regional play.
"We're primed for a good stretch run," Pedersen said. "We're just taking things day by day, shot by shot."
The Cats have benefited this season from one of the area's best 1-2 punches in juniors Megan Stuornas and Simone Mikaelian, who have battled back and forth between the 1 and 2 spots this fall.
"They've been neck and neck all year," added Pedersen.
At Bonnie Brook, scores were a little high, owing to the inclement weather. But that didn't stop Mikaelian, who carded an 83, good for second place. The top 21 finishers earned all-conference medals.
"The morning was really difficult and it was hard to hold on to the club," said Mikaelian, who carded a 44 on the opening nine but rebounded nicely with a 39 on the back. "I was happy with the round because it helped the team. And yes, we have a lot of depth. Anyone can contribute any given day and we all share in the goal of making it to state as a team."
As for Stuornas, she fired an 87 to earn a sixth-place medal.
"She's probably the hardest worker and one of the most improved in the conference - and county, for that matter," said Pedersen. "She played in 16 tournaments over the summer and hits it a long way."
Seniors Maggie Piazzi (88) finished ninth and Natalie Quist (90) was 13th to complete the Cats' scoring.
Lake Forest senior Emily Young was the medalist with an 82 over the 5,385-yard layout.
"I had a feeling the scores were going to be a little high. The course was playing long with all of the rain," said Young, who had birdies on No. 5 and 11. "I was pressing to hard for a while, but you just have to stay patient. That really helped me down the stretch."
Junior Lena Benjakul finished fourth after carding an 86 and help the Scouts finish third (373) behind runner-up Stevenson (357).
Six players earned all-conference honors for the Patriots, led by senior Alexia Fidman, who fired an 87, which was good for fifth-place hardware.
Mundelein finished fourth (397) and was led by senior Megan Wiese (94) in 18th place. Grant (399) rounded out the top five on the strength of sophomore KiLynn Gold's 85, which earned her third place individually.
Long-time goal coach Jim Seward of Vernon Hills is retiring after 26 years. Seward was instrumental in shaping the Cougars program after having accomplished the same at Libertyville for many years before that.
The girls golf state series begin next week with the regional qualifying meets.