Wrap: D-C's Nowicke advances; Central golfers move on

A strong round of 83 Wednesday will give Dundee-Crown's Beth Nowicke a shot at playing in girls golf sectionals.

"It went really well today," Nowicke said after the Class AA Glenbrook North regional at Sportsman's Country Club in Northbrook.

"I stayed mentally focused. It was similar to my conference round a few weeks ago. (It was) just really consistent play and being smart. I'm very excited about going to sectionals. I went my sophomore year but missed the cut last year. I'm really excited to be going back. My goal is to beat my personal best which was today with my 83. If I beat my personal best I'll be so happy."

To settle up the regional medalist, Loyola's Somy Kim, St. Viator's Kaela Klune and Prospect's Marietta Smith all returned to No. 1 for a playoff after shooting 76s.

Klune and Smith shot 5s to par the 428-yard hole while Kim stayed behind with a 6.

On the par-4 second hole, Smith and Klune were both on in 2 and faced similar putts on an uneven green.

Whether it was their lies, their eyes or their luck, 2 putts later Klune was the regional champ.

Loyola won the regional with a 327 to edge Prospect's 331. New Trier also advanced with a 333.

Girls golf

Burlington Central at Rock Falls regional: Despite just missing a team qualification to sectionals, Burlington Central will send individuals Taylor Colby and Erica Maisto to the Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley on Monday to compete in the Class AA Moline sectional.

Colby advanced beyond the par 72 Rock River Country Club and the Rock Falls regional after shooting a 92, which was fourth best among individuals advancing. Maisto shot a 101 to make the cut.

"Erica couldn't believe it," said BC coach Deb Twenhafel. "She was tickled pink."

Both girls are extremely happy to be representing the Rockets at the sectional level however it took a phone call to older sister Lauren Colby for things to really sink in for Taylor.

"Taylor didn't really get it until she called her sister Lauren who said 'Taylor, I didn't even qualify for sectionals until I was a senior.'

"Then she started to beam," according to Twenhafel.

"I'm very happy with what they did. They have consistently been my No. 1 and No. 2 all year, and they worked very hard to improve all season."

Shooting for a combined 409, Burlington Central missed the team cut by just 7 strokes finishing fourth behind Rockford Boylan (338), Rockton Hononegah (379) and Sterling (402).

"I was surprised we only missed it by seven strokes," said Twenhafel. "It was unbelievable. This was awesome. "It is all the girls. They deserve it all."

Haylen Guyton of Kaneland will advance with an 80.

Neuqua Valley regional:ŒThe saga of Michelle Meifert took yet another unexpected turn on Wednesday afternoon, and the Waubonsie Valley girls golf team is riding her inspirational play once again.

The Warriors' senior, who returned last week after missing the bulk of the season convalescing from emergency surgery, was in a bit of a golfing pickle after opening the Class AA Neuqua Valley regional at Naperbrook Golf Course in Plainfield with a front-side 50.

"The front nine, I was all over the place," said Meifert. "I couldn't get a grip on anything."

The inward nine was an entirely different story, however, as Meifert authored a level-par 36 -- the lowest nine-hole score by 2 strokes -- leading the Warriors' back-side collective charge that paved the way for their fourth consecutive sectional appearance as a team.

Hinsdale Central (327) was in a league of its own as the reigning state runner-ups eased to the team crown behind the 76 from defending state champion Alex Lederhausen.

But it was the Warriors who garnered most of the attention in the aftermath of their scintillating back-nine performances.

"I was very pleased with the girls," said Waubonsie Valley coach Laura Jones. "They could have crumbled. The fact that (Meifert) was able to get her focus and composure back speaks a lot about her."

The Warriors' 344 total was 7 shots better than host Neuqua Valley, which secured the third and final team slot to Coyote Run in Flossmoor behind two-time state qualifier Hannah Buck.

West Aurora junior Madison Whitt made it back-to-back sectional appearances as the Blackhawks' leader birdied one-third of her front-nine holes to go out in 39.

Whitt was in the lead through 15 holes, only to see her round unravel on the final three holes. But her resulting 82 was not only good for a three-way tie for sixth overall; it also sealed her Columbus Day plans.

"I was really happy with the way I was playing," said Whitt. "The ball-striking was there along with the putts. There were a lot of (converted) par and bogey putts that were crucial."

West Aurora was sixth in the 12-team field with a 384. Tina Stengle (98), Ellen Christensen (100) and Karina Diaz (104) rounded out the Blackhawks' scoring.

Rosary sophomore Natalie Haines came home in 44 to snare one of the final two at-large berths with a 91 overall.

"Everything just clicked," said the Geneva resident. "My drives were actually going straight."

The Royals were 10th on the day, receiving contributions from Dana Edwards (99), Courtney Classen (101) and Amanda Daukus (102).

Maggie Rich, the lone representative from Aurora Central Catholic, had a 99.

-- Kevin McGavin

At Lake Forest regional: The Fox Valley's Katlyn Anderberg of Huntley and Prairie Ridge's Allison Holly both advanced to the Rockford Guilford sectional which will be held at Ingersoll in Rockford on Monday after each qualified individually at the Lake Forest regional.

Anderberg shot an 88 on the par 72 Lake Bluff Golf Course in Lake Forest, while Holly shot a 95 to make the cut.

Barrington's McCall Barsamian shot a medalist round 77 leading Barrington to a first place finish with a combined 329 strokes. Stevenson (346) and Carmel (369) also advanced as teams.

Boys soccer

DeKalb 1, Burlington Central 0: The Rockets (11-5-2) fell to DeKalb in this nonconference matchup. Burlington Central battled the whole way but still wasn't able to get the ball in the back of the net. Kyle DeRaedt was in the net collecting 6 saves for the Rockets.

Larkin 2, South Elgin 1: The Storm (3-9) fell to Larkin in a close Upstate Eight match. Larkin opened scoring in the first half on a goal by Steven Drew. South Elgin equalized before halftime on an unassisted goal by Ernesto Caballero. Larkin's Raul Sandoval then scored the only second half goal to defeat the Storm.

Girls Volleyball

St. Edward d. Driscoll: The Green Wave (9-13, 6-5) defeated Driscoll for a Suburban Catholic Conference victory 25-15, 25-13. Kristin Haggenjos led St. Edward with 7 kills and 3 aces. Katie Yohn also added 5 kills and 8 assists. Molly Kelly put away 6 kills and collected 5 blocks to lead the Green Wave to another conference victory.

Women's Soccer

Judson 4, Trinity Christian 3: The Eagles (5-5-1, 3-3) defeated the first place team in the region in Trinity Christian in overtime. Judson jumped to a good start as Baerbel Hartner was able to score first unassisted. Then teammate Lynsey McFarland was able to also put a shot in the net off a corner kick from Emma Mugg. It wasn't until the second half when Christina Thornton scored her first goal of the game on a breakaway up the field on an assist from Lynsey McFarland. At the end of the second half Judson and Trinity Christian were tied. In overtime Judson came out strong and made way for Thornton, who was able to score the game-winning shot on a assist from Samantha Vestal.

Women's Volleyball

ECC d. Waubonsee: The Spartans (21-8, 4-2) defeated Waubonsee Community College in four tough games 30-24, 30-26, 26-30, 30-21 for a conference victory. Ilse Belmonte was able to lead in kills when she put away 14 for the evening. Heather Keeny also was able to contribute 13 kills, while teammate Jaclin Brannon added 12 kills and 5 aces to put the Spartans back on top. Staci Holthus also tallied 19 digs for an overall team effort.