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Girls golf: Scouting Northwest

Players to watchBarrington: Reena Sulkar (Sr), Allie Quinn (Sr.), Shivani Majmudar (Sr.), Akshara Ramakrishnan (Sr.), Swetha Seshadri (Jr.), Maggie Hoffman (Jr.), Nicole Ciskowski (So.), Ishani Majmudar (So.), Olivia Lee (So.), Caroline Smith (Fr.)

Buffalo Grove: Haeri Lee (Jr.), Jasmine Yi (Jr.), Grace Gran (Sr.), Katie Fontanetta (Sr.), Riley O'Donahue (Jr.), Zoe Childs (So.)

Conant: Michelle Zhang (So.), Megan Mayers (Sr), Tida Bowers (Sr.), Nimra Syed (Jr.), Lina Jang (Jr.), Ciara O'Malley (Sr), Alyssa Brand (So.), Lex Alcantara (Jr.), Alexis Kim (Jr.)

Elk Grove: Amy Carpenter (Sr.), Maggie Cronin (So.), Zoe Blomquist (Jr.), Kelly Walter (Jr.), Reyna Shino (So.)

Fremd: Annie Gao (Sr.), AnnMarie O'Sullivan (Sr.), Kristina Ferrari (Sr.), Alex Buckingham (So.), Gillian Jackson (So.), Grace Lee (Jr.)

Hersey: Megan Kopeny (Sr.), Maggie Anderson (Sr), Sophia Cacioppo (Sr.), Jasmin Lee (SR), Abby Brush (Sr), Kelly McCarthy (Sr)

Hoffman Estates: Christina Wood (Jr.), Paige Connors (Jr.), Katarina Ott-Durkin (Jr.), Maria Estevez (Jr)

Maine West: Megan Kalinowski (Sr), Amber Ward (Jr), Clara Cupuro (So.), Anastasia Peric (Fr)

Palatine: Jennifer Myslinski (Jr.), Meghan Fortunato (Jr), Madison Colbrook (Sr.), Ariel Blanchard (Jr). Bismaad Hansra (So.), Victoria Simmons (Fr.)

Prospect: Sabrina Accardi (Sr.), Kate Ponzi (Sr.), Emily Fleming (So.), Allison Buck (Jr.), Margherite Pettenuzzo (Jr.), Mary Schafer (Sr.), Daleny Halloran (Sr.), Kelly Kavanagh (Fr.), Alyssa Sharp (Sr.)

Rolling Meadows: Caroline Smith (Jr.), Nicole Von Oesen (Jr.), Kelsey Martin (Sr.), Abby Trojan (Jr.), Mallory Brand (So.), Jamie Seibert (Fr.)

Schaumburg: Jennifer Capello (Jr.), Trinity Corwin (Jr.), Cheyenne Harris (Jr.), Erykah Walton (Jr.), Caitlyn Bondarowicz (Jr.), Laura O'Connell (Sr.)

St. Viator: Susie Carlson (Sr,) Micayla Shevlin (Sr.), Caroline Lavender (So.), Nicole Bavaro (Sr.)

Wheeling: Renata Olvera (Sr.), Elena Falkiner (So.), Cindy Dang (Jr.), Samantha Rohwedder (Fr.), Adrienne Rohwedder (So.)

Area outlookBarrington won its first Mid-Suburban League championship since 2007 last year as returning senior Reena Sulkar won her second straight MSL individual crown. The Fillies are primed to defend their title with Hall of Fame coach Jodi Schoeck sending out the deepest team she has had in 30 seasons. "This group has had the most summer tourney experience of any I've had," she said. "That experience will be invaluable later." Freshman Caroline Smith already fired a 1-under 70 when she debuted at the Barrington Invite at Bonnie Dundee on Monday. "It's been like a well-oiled machine since the first day of tryouts (Aug. 10)," Schoeck said. "Our younger girls can learn a lot from the older ones. It will be fun to watch. It's a true 'team.' We have 10 players who would be starters anywhere else. They are all going to have to work together and stay together all season. I hope they will make a lot of memories this season." Schoeck was the 2009 National High School Coach of the year and has guided the Fillies to 12 MSL titles (four straight from 2004 through 2007), 12 regional crowns and nine appearances in the state finals, including third in 1996. Buffalo Grove coach returns veteran seniors Grace Gran and Katie Fontanetta, also talented softball players, while junior Haeri Lee had a strong IJGA summer and was the highest MSL finisher (12th) in the AA state tourney last year. She shot a 71 at the Barrington Invite to begin this season. Prospect won seven straight MSL championships prior to last year when coach Jim Hamann had his youngest team in eight years. Hamann, who was one of eight finalists for national coach of the year at a ceremony in Rochester, Minn., last summer, is excited about this year's roster. "Sabrina Accardi and Kate Ponzi bring an abundance of experience to help lead our team," Hamann said. Ponzi and Sabrina Accardi were members of the 2014 state finalist team which took fifth and both played in the state tournament in 2015. "They are hungry to lead this team," Hamann added. "We are very excited and we know we will improve throughout the season. We will prepare for all events to the best of our ability." Hamann has led the Knights to two state titles, one state runner-up, and a fourth- and fifth-place finish in the last five years. Fremd features seniors AnnMarie O'Sullivan and Annie Gao to help pave the way. They led coach Christine Vlaming's Vikes to third place at the Conant Early Bird Invite on Tuesday. Conant coach Megan Hebert watched her team take fourth place in its own Early Bird with sophomore Michelle Zhang shooting a 79 for top ten honors. Zhang, Lina Jang, Nimra Syed and Tida Bowers were sectional qualifiers last year. Hersey coach Dan Vesper begins his fourth season with six seniors ready to go. Megan Kopeny delivered a ninth-place finish at the Early Bird with a sizzling 36 on the back nine for a 79. Sophia Cacioppo, a sectional qualifier last year, tied for ninth in the MSL meet as a sophomore. "These seniors are the freshman class I came in with," Vesper said. "It's been an awesome class skill-wise. They are like family to me. It's going to be a fun season but sad for me, too, knowing it's the last one with them. They're a great bunch of kids." Jasmin Lee was also a sectional qualifier last year for the Huskies. Palatine coach Bill LePage welcomes back junior Jennifer Myslinski, who was the first freshman to play on the varsity roster in his five seasons. Rolling Meadows returns to its home course, Arlington Lakes, which was under renovation last season. The Mustangs will host the MSL meet on Sept. 27 at the newly-designed layout in Arlington Heights. Coach Paul Fraser has a very young team with seven freshmen but they have two returning varsity players with senior Nicole Van Oesen (third year on varsity) and junior Caroline Smith (second year on varsity). "The team had a good start to the season at the Marian Central Invitational (on Wednesday) where Smith and Nicole Oesen placed in the top 15," Fraser said. "We hope to use our youthful enthusiasm to focus on playing competitively and having fun." Schaumburg coach Michelle Hinojosa has a strong junior class, led by Jennifer Cappello's 12th-place finish (83) and Trinity Corwin's 86 (top 20) in the Early Bird. One senior on the team is all-area basketball forward Laura O'Connell. "We also have some sophomores ready to get into the lineup," Hinojosa said. Wheeling is off to its first 2-0 start under former Daily Herald Athlete of the Year Peggy Ellsworth, who took over the program in 2001. The former Arlington High School standout athlete, who did not golf in high school (but played the sport at Southern Illinois), has a roster that features IJGA golfers Symantha Rohwedder (freshman) and her sister Adrienne Rohwedder (sophomore). They have been home schooled until this year. Both shot 33s at Salt Creek Golf Course to lead Wheeling past Maine West and Addison Trail on Wednesday. Senior Renata Olvera, sophomore Elena Falkiner and junior Cindy Dang are other top players for Ellsworth. "We have some young golfers with old golfer's souls," said Ellsworth, who pitched Arlington to the Final Four of the 1984 Class AA state softball tourney. "We are looking forward to an exciting season."

• St. Viator coach Mick Drewes will prepare his team for the season-ending Class A state tournament after competing at the AA level in past years. "Our seniors have made some good strides," he said. "Dropping down to single (class) 'A' is good for us as our enrollment went under 1,000. We should be able to do pretty well at the regional and sectional if we continue to improve. That's our goal."

• Maine West coach John Hauenstein's top four players come from all four classes - senior Megan Kalinowski, junior Amber Ward, sophomore Clara Cupuro and freshman Anastasia Peric.

Swan songHoffman Estates coach Tim Teegarden is retiring after after 34 years in District 211 as a math teacher. He is also leaving the girls golf post after 16 seasons. "I've enjoyed working with the girls and teaching them golf," said Teegarden, who returns sectional qualifier Christina Wood (junior). He may consider returning as an assistant coach but he will take off next year. "I've remodeled every room in each of our last two homes and then sold them," he said. "I plan to do that again with our current home. We've had it since 1997. So that's my goal for now and then maybe later I will get back into coaching."

- John Leusch

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