Furrie, St. Charles North storm to UEC titles

Ariana Furrie and St. Charles North spoiled a potentially historic day for Batavia Tuesday afternoon.

The Bulldogs' girls golf team entered the single-division Upstate Eight Conference tournament at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club trying to run the table to become the first league champion in its new conference.

But Furrie, the North Stars' diminutive but powerful player, and her teammates avenged a regular-season loss to the Bulldogs with a convincing 328 collective performance in West Chicago to win the North Stars' first conference title in five years.

St. Charles East, which was vanquished by both Batavia and its crosstown rival last week, was second at 332.

Batavia was declared third overall on a fifth-card tiebreaker with Waubonsie Valley after the schools fired matching 342s in regulation.

Batavia edged St. Charles East for second overall on the basis of its flawless regular season.

Upstart Metea Valley was fifth, followed by the Bartlett/South Elgin/Streamwood coop, Neuqua Valley, Geneva, Lake Park and the Elgin/Larkin coop.

Furrie combined a potent yet supple high fade off the tee with solid iron play and negotiated St. Andrews' notoriously demanding greens with 5 birdies to finish with a blistering 1-under-par 70 to win the individual title.

"I knew the greens were big," Furrie said of her three-birdie binge on her inward nine to produce a 2-under 34. "I just wanted to get my approach (putts) up close. Speed was definitely a big issue (on a 20-foot conversion for birdie at 11). I really didn't know the line. I just aimed a little to the right."

But conference championships also require unheralded players making significant contributions.

Enter North Stars' senior KK Barr.

The Northwestern soccer recruit overcame a disastrous 8-over start on her outward nine to post a more-than-respectable 83 coming home.

"We all knew we all had to come and play our 'A" game (to overtake Batavia)," Barr said. "I'm glad I saved my round."

Marissa Fencl (87) and Jordyn McFarlane (88) combined for a 175 to complete the North Stars' first league title since 2005.

"The girls all pulled it together," St. Charles North coach Chris Patrick said. "We have been looking for consistency the whole year. This is our best round of the year, and it came at the right time."

St. Charles East, the two-time defending champion, had a pair of anchor scores from Paige Jordan and league MVP Nicole Rae.

Jordan fashioned another team-low round her third in succession by taming the back nine with 7 pars and a birdie.

The Saints' sophomore finished runner-up with a 76.

"I have been focusing on my swing a lot (lately)," Jordan said. "After hole (No. 3) it all came together. I was putting very well."

Rae negated inconsistent iron play with a brilliant short game to fashion a 78.

Batavia could not showcase its regular-season excellence, but Tara Cullerton and Megan Ramp were all-conference with their respective 77 and 84.

"There's a lot of pressure," Batavia coach Morgan Connell said. "I think they're feeling the pressure (of a perfect season). That's what golf is all about."

Geneva freshman Abby Luchtenburg had a 79 to earn all-conference accolades.

Waubonsie Valley, with its eyes on the Class AA Neuqua Valley regional next week, earned district honors by breaking a three-way, regular-season tie for fourth with Metea Valley and Neuqua Valley.

Sophomore Courtney Williams' inward-nine 38 propelled the Warriors' backstretch drive.

"This is my best score ever," Williams said of her round of 80. "On the back (nine) I was just making so many putts."

Cherise Mangal, the Warriors' senior top gun, had her promising day of five pars in the first six holes derailed by a front-side triple bogey.

There were more ups and downs on the back nine for Mangal, but a solid approach on the par-5 14th and an equally compelling sand save at No. 16 produced all-world pars.

Mangal finished with her third consecutive 83.

"I worked really hard over the winter and summer to get into the 70s range," Mangal said. "I just have to play the game I know how to play."

"I'm not worried about Cherise," Waubonsie Valley coach John Farnan said. "(Williams and Mangal) are both good players. We are starting to turn the corner. We have had individuals shoot these kinds of scores, but never four consistent scores like this."

The Warriors posted their season-low, 18-hole tournament score with contributing efforts from Courtney Phillips (89) and Maggie Miklasz (90).

Metea Valley foreign-exchange student Natalya Schleebs earned all-conference distinction with a team-best 84.

"It was my drives (that made the difference)," Schleebs said.

The Mustangs' 349 total was a surprising 16 strokes lower than Neuqua Valley.

Anna Petersen also earned an all-conference nod based on her regular-season play combined with an 89 on Tuesday.

Kyleigh Dallner led Neuqua Valley; the sophomore fired a career-low 86 to pace the Wildcats.

"On the last hole I made a long putt (to save bogey)," Dallner said. "My fairway shots (were the strongest) part of my play."

Erika Stark was the low performer for Lake Park.

Sam Coyne has even more reason for optimism with the postseason a mere week away.

The Bartlett junior did something not even her state-qualifying sophomore campaign could match: a personal-best round.

"It was my best score ever today," Coyne said jubilantly after posting a 78 that included a 2-over 37 on the front nine. "I was really, really happy (with my score). Everything went well today--my driver was good, my putting was good."

The junior, the lone Hawks' representative on the South Elgin/Streamwood coop, previously had her low round- an 81 in qualifying out of the Class AA Rockford Guilford sectional last fall.

Coyne will return back to St. Andrews for the St. Charles East regional next Wednesday for a possible return to state.

"Definitely," Coyne replied when asked if the combination of her state experience and conference play had elevated her game.

Coyne, the sole area all-conference selection, was fifth in the MVP tally.

The remainder of the varsity coop is comprised of South Elgin underclassmen.

Sophomore Alex Anderson had a 90, followed by contributions from Abbie Bochat (95), Kennede Miller and Lea Skuteris (matching 97s).

"I played pretty well, but on the front nine I had one bad score (triple on six) that hurt (my total)," Anderson said. "The pins were in a pretty good position, but I still had problems putting."

The coop finished seventh in the final league standings.

Brittany Strangmann, a Larkin junior, led her coop with Elgin with a 97.