Hinsdale Central outlasts Wheaton Warrenville South
On a cold and blustery day, the prognosticators were rewarded.
The three corresponding regional champions - Hinsdale Central, Wheaton Warrenville South and Batavia - of the Class AA St. Ignatius girls golf sectional at Cog Hill were in the spotlight Tuesday in Lemont.
Nerves and coaches' calculations were working overtime, but in the end it was Hinsdale Central and WW South that added yet another chapter to their storied programs this decade.
The Red Devils' 342-343 victory over WW South was not decided until the schools' final golfer signed their scorecards, leaving Batavia, which posted a 348, on the outside looking in for the two team berths to the state tournament this weekend at Hickory Ridge in Carbondale.
Erin Ahern, the Red Devils' Nazareth Academy regional champion, turned in a 9-over-par 81 to not only lead Hinsdale Central to its sixth downstate appearance this decade but also the razor-thin margin over the Tigers. But WW South secured the major consolation prize by punching its downstate ticket in back-to-back fashion for the second time since 2002.
It did not come easy for the squad, however, after a near-collective outward-nine meltdown.
"When I found out our scores at the turn, I was really nervous," said WW South junior Sarah Skurla, who began her day with an eagle-3 at the par-5 first. "I started to think I was going to just think about getting out as an individual."
The sentiment was shared team-wise.
"At the turn all of us were positive we weren't going to make it through (as a team)," senior Mallory Glanzman said. "We figured we weren't going to make it, so we just started to play more relaxed. This will be a great way to end the year."
After posting a front-nine 39, Skurla overcame an early inward-nine double-bogey with back-to-back birdies.
"Those 2 birdies (at Nos. 13 and 14) were a real momentum-shifter," Skurla said.
St. Francis (364), which features all-state returnee Kayla Stueland of Geneva and St. Charles' Megan Van Thournout, finished fifth.
"My ball-striking was pretty good, but my stuff around the greens needs to improve," said Stueland, who fashioned nines of 40-40 to finish fourth overall with an 80.
St. Francis' junior leader earned state inclusion for the third straight year; Stueland ended up in a three-way tie for seventh last fall at state.
"I'm satisfied with my play, even though I left some shots out there," Stueland added. "The course played longer than what the scorecard said."
Van Thournout concluded her season with an 88.
Natalie Haines' 86 was the low score among the area at-large competitors, but neither she nor Rosary teammate Lauren Hoss made the cut. Shannon Delaney led three Geneva individuals with an 86, ending the Vikings' state streak at two.
The Tigers' comeback, though, had coalesced earlier behind Renee Solberg; the freshman turned in the low home-nine score of the day - a 2-over-par 37 - and suddenly the Tigers were back in the mix. When York, the front-runner at the turn, faltered on the back nine, the WW South tide engulfed the other contenders.
"I don't know what happened to us on the back," said York coach Barb Tilden, whose squad finished in fourth at 351.
"I decided to fight for it," Solberg said. "Everyone was feeling down about (their front-nine scores)."
The pivotal Solberg back-nine round enabled the freshman to close with an 85; Glanzman and fellow senior Amy Wood had already posted matching 90s for the squad, which talented sophomore Emily Johnson reduced by one from the second slot. When Skurla came home with one of only three sub-80 rounds - all 79s - the Tigers were five clear of upstart Batavia.
"(Solberg) finally started to trust her swing," said WW South coach Art Tang. "That's what I tell the girls all the time: 'Trust your swing.' "
Skura, Glenbard West sophomore Brooke Kochevar and Downers Grove North junior Colleen Mahoney had a three-way playoff to decide the medalist after all three checked in with 7-over-par 79s. Kochevar added another postseason crown to her title at St. Francis last week with a par at the first.
"I didn't hit it where I wanted to (on the back nine)," Kochevar said of her up-and-down nines of 37 and 42.
Naperville North (370) and Naperville Central (385) were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the field as neither school, as well as Neuqua Valley, Wheaton North, Waubonsie Valley and Benet, advanced any at-large competitors.