Girls golf: Mirjanic, Vernon Hills embrace strong CSL North finish

Vernon Hills' girls golf team keeps improving.

Freshman Maja Mirjanic tied for second place with Deerfield's Elyse Emerzian with an 81, and junior Grace Kim tied for seventh with an 87 in the Central Suburban League North Division tournament at Wilmette Golf Club in Wilmette on Wednesday.

"The season has been pretty good and better than I've expected," Mirjanic said. "With this being my first year playing in tournaments and playing competitive golf, going against players that shoot really low is hard. But you realize that (playing well) can build your confidence."

Mirjanic posted a 39 and 42. Kim shot a 47 on the back nine and then a 40 on the front.

"I started on the back nine and started playing better on the front," Kim said. "I wanted to shoot in the low 80s."

Vernon Hills' other scores included Bayasa Hayanhirvaa's 99 and Jacki Park's 103. Deerfield, which lost to Vernon Hills during the dual-meet season, won the CSL North on Wednesday. The Warriors finished with a 335, 15 shots better than Highland Park (350). Vernon Hills (370) and Maine West (411) finished third and fourth, respectively.

"Our score was solid," said Vernon Hills coach Steve Downey, whose team was seventh overall out of 10 teams. "We graduated four of our top players and thought this year was a bit of a rebuilding year. But these girls have really stepped up to be better then last year. It's definitely a surprise to me."

Maine West's top golfers were Kate Benziger (99), Clara Capuro (102), Anastasia Peric (105) and Elisabeth McCrea (105).

"Our top four top golfers will be coming back next year," Maine West coach John Hauenstein said. "We've had some successes this year - we won the Willowbrook invitational where there were nine teams - and it's something to build on. We just need to have consistency, and that comes from having experience. I'm hoping the girls can get some really good experience in the off-season."

New Trier won the CSL South with a 307. Glenbrook South was second (320), followed by Glenbrook North (359), Maine South (361), Evanston (415) and Niles West (415).

New Trier's Penelope Tir was the CSL South medalist with a 2-under-par 68.