Barrington's Quinn finds the right sport

After trying almost every girls sport imaginable, Taylor Quinn finally settled on golf.

"When I got to high school, I had to decide between volleyball and golf," said Quinn, a Barrington senior who even participated in dance, ice skating and gymnastics as a young girl. "I knew if I did volleyball, I'd have to play on the freshman team.

"I knew if I did golf, I could be on the varsity right away. Miss Schoeck (Jodi, the Fillies coach) was encouraging me to play golf. Plus, it was a sport I could do the rest of my life. And it could help in the business world."

Her decision sure has helped Barrington's golf teams the last four years.

Quinn has helped the Fillies win three regional titles, two sectionals and two Mid-Suburban League crowns.

As a junior, she was the MSL champion by shooting a 77 at Arlington Lakes Golf Course in Arlington Heights.

She then finished 42nd in the state finals with a two-day score of 167 (83-84) at Stone Creek Golf Course in Makanda.

Last Monday, Quinn advanced to the state finals for the fourth straight year. She is only the fifth Fillie to do that in school history.

Her success has hardly gone unnoticed as the University of Minnesota has given her a scholarship.

Quinn made her official visit to the Big Ten school last weekend.

"This final state tournament is her stepping stone to what will be a remarkable collegiate career at Minnesota," Schoeck said. "I have always been a huge Taylor Quinn fan but now I will be a Gophers fan as well."

Quinn will be one of nearly 10 players to play Division I golf from the Barrington program.

"The nice thing about Taylor's game is that one shot can do it," Schoeck said. "She can chip it in, she can hole it in from the fairway. She can one-putt. I can't wait to see her game one more time at state."

It was a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 No. 18 hole at the Buffalo Grove Golf Club that gave her this fourth chance as she tied for the eighth and final spot in the sectional.

"It's funny because I just spent last weekend at Minnesota with one of its freshman golfers, Tori Stock, who played at Marian Central High School," Quinn said. "And just like me, she made the state finals her senior year by tying for the eighth and final spot."

Quinn, who began playing golf at the age of 5 by following in her brother Ryan's footsteps, plans to study business at Minnesota.

But for now, she is thinking about wrapping up her high school golf career with some good scores at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Carbondale."

"Taylor is really good at looking at a course and planning out her strategy," Schoeck said. "She is at her best when push comes to shove.

"She plays the game with such integrity, passion and character - just like it is supposed to be played. She has led the team on and off the golf course."

This weekend, Quinn will take her final swings as a high school player.

"It's going to be fantastic seeing her compete in her fourth state tournament," Schoeck added. "What an unbelievable high school career for one of the best Barrington players ever. She has put herself in the most exclusive company of the elite Barrington athletes."