Koschmann with 5-stroke lead in state golf meet

After the first round of the Class AA girls golf state meet, things are looking pretty good for Lake Forest's Hailey Koschmann.

The Scouts senior carded identical 33s on the front and back nines to finish Round 1 with a 66 and a 5-stroke lead Friday. The current course record at Hickory Ridge Public Golf Center in Carbondale is 61; the girls golf state record is 143 for both rounds.

Prospect's Marietta Smith got off to a good start by shooting a 75.

"It was good day," Smith said. "On the first hole I was little nervous. As the round progressed, I felt good with how I was playing."

Smith's 3-over-par effort puts her in a five-way tie for ninth.

"We had a good practice round (on Thursday)," said Prospect coach Jim Hamann. "We are very comfortable on this course. We had a good game plan and all we wanted to do was follow it.

"She played tremendous. On the front 9, she hit seven greens. She birdied 9 and played great from there on. She's one of the best ball-strikers out there. She's been playing with a lot of confidence the last few weeks of the season. She's really focused. He game has turned a corner."

And the atmosphere at state is only helping her game.

"I'm keeping a good mental (attitude)," Smith said. "I really wanted my season to end here at state. There's an attitude of hope and opportunity in the air and I feed off it."

Just 6 strokes off the pace is Conant's Kris Yoo at 78. Yoo is tied for 20th.

"It was nerve-wracking and it was fun," said Yoo. "There were some good things about my score. I had a couple birdies here and there -- that was cool. My only goal is to play better than today. Experience is what I'm going for."

Yoo's effort as a sophomore impressed her coach, Diana Johannesen.

"I think she held up pretty well," Johannesen said. "It's not meeting her expectations, but given the whole element, she's holding up pretty good for a sophomore. It was nice watching her."

St. Viator's Kaela Klune is another stroke back at 79, where she's tied with seven other golfers for 25th.

"Her putter went south," said Lions coach Mick Drewes. "It was one of those days. She fought through it the best she could. She hit the ball like a champ but couldn't score."

Despite a pair of birdies, Klune worked through 6 holes that she 3-putted.

"She worked on her putting (after her round)," Drewes said. "I told her to forget about it. She'll be fine (today). She's going to come back. She still has a chance to medal. It won't be easy but she definitely has the ability to do so. This tournament isn't over by any means for her."

In the team race, Barrington is ninth after day one with a 342. Defending state champion Normal University is shining with a 302 and holds a 7-stroke lead on Marian Catholic.

"Today was a beautiful day," said Barrington coach Jodi Schoeck. "But the course ate us up a little bit during the round. There's a couple holes on the back that are placement shots -- if you miss the landing areas, you're toast. Those were difficult holes for us."

Brittany Keiter, who's spent a chunk of the season off her game because of mono, stepped up with an 82 to lead the Fillies.

"I'm happy that each of the girls were able to keep it together today," Schoeck said. "It seemed that each kid had one nemesis hole -- besides that, they were pretty solid."

Sophomore Taylor Quinn was just off Keiter's pace with an 83. McCall Barsamian (85) and Marina Karamanis (92) also scored for the Fillies.

But the Fillies will need to make up a little ground to day to better last year's seventh-place finish.

"(We are going to) trust our instincts," Schoeck said. "We've seen those trouble holes a few times now. The girls are hoping to move up a few spots."

After a great performance at sectionals, Libertyville's Alex Hein kept right on trucking at state with a 2-over 74. She's in a three-way tie for fourth after the first day.

Lakes sophomore Abbie Horan shot a respectable 88 in her first state appearance.

Stevenson turned in consistent but is 10th in the team race with a 344.

Kaitlin Garske (82), Jennifer Gorman (85) and Angelina Kim (86) led the Patriots' effort in the first round. Alex Kessler and Erin Monreau added 91s.