Girls golf: ‘Steady’ Gutierrez dominates regional as St. Charles North, Conant and Geneva advance to sectionals
Madeline Gutierrez was the best player on the course at the Class 2A Conant regional at Fox Run Golf Links, and it wasn’t particularly close.
The Conant junior paced the field Tuesday afternoon by seven strokes, riding an eagle on the 11th hole to a sterling 2-under 68. Her decisive performance willed Conant into second place at Fox Run, earning Gutierrez’s side its first bid to the 2A sectionals since the star junior began high school.
“She’s just steady. She doesn’t let a lot get into her head,” said Conant coach Megan Hebert. “She has so much experience that you can count on her, even when something is not going exactly perfect.”
Gutierrez, who added the Illinois Women’s Open title to her trophy cabinet this summer, sported a University of Notre Dame women’s golf hat throughout her round, though she has not yet made anything official as to where she will play at the next level. College coaches should take notice of her monster, 245-plus yard drive on the difficult par 5 11th hole and the ensuing deadeye 5-iron that set up her eventual eagle putt.
St. Charles North placed first at Fox Run with a 336, claiming a 2A regional title for the third consecutive year. Conant (346) and Geneva (363) rounded out the top three, and each will join St. Charles North at sectionals next week at Randall Oaks, hosted by Jacobs.
Juniors Kayla Beu (75) and Abigail Gizewicz (78) led the way for the North Stars, finishing second and third, respectively, in the individual competition. Beu and Gizewicz have occupied the two top spots in St. Charles North’s lineup since their freshman seasons, and they each have featured as the North Stars’ No. 1 seed throughout 2026.
St. Charles North coach Steve Dodd credits Beu and Gizewicz’s relationship as a key to his team’s success.
“It’s really helpful for me as a coach, and it helps the rest of the team that we don’t have quiet bus rides, we don’t have awkward moments when Abby wins or when Kayla wins,” said Dodd. “It’s not like the two of them are side-eyeing each other. There’s a strong bond, and they play good team golf.”
Beu jokes that Gizewicz is the more aggressive member of the North Stars’ two-headed monster, frequently opting for her driver on a hole where Beu might lean toward an iron, but they each agree that there’s been little difference in their scores over the past three seasons.
“We’re a little bit competitive,” said Gizewicz. “But we’re also very encouraging of each other, pushing each other a lot. I’ve known Kayla since I was in seventh grade, and since then, we’ve just been pushing each other to continue getting better.”
Sophomore Raina Cho (86) and junior Roxy Erickson (97) rounded out the top four for St. Charles North.
Conant’s second-place effort was buoyed by juniors Santina Papucci (92), Kate Clark (93) and Tara O’Mahoney (93).
“They’re a package deal,” said Conant’s Hebert of Papucci, Clark and O’Mahoney. “It was great to have those juniors step up and support [Gutierrez] as best as they could.”
Geneva was on the outside looking in for most of the afternoon before shooting past St. Charles East late to claim that final qualifying spot. All four of Geneva’s counting golfers were freshmen, and the Vikings should be climbing up the state rankings throughout the next three seasons.
Gemma Steuart paced the young Geneva group with an 84, followed by Sadie Johnson (87), Catie Faith (95) and Annie Torrence (97).
Geneva coach Kevin O’Brien said that each of his six varsity golfers — including freshman Molly Tracey (100) and sophomore Angie Driessen (103) — has a shot to light it up at regionals and advance to the state tournament as an underclassman.
“We’re a very young team, and at this point in the season, we’re bringing it all together,” added O’Brien. “They’ve really come together as a collective group.”