Girls golf: Hersey’s Joseph ‘can’t believe it’ after career round nets sectional championship; Prospect headed to state as a team

Just to break par, it is every golfer’s dream.

That has also been Serena Joseph’s goal since the Hersey sophomore began play golf five years.

Joseph accomplished that feat one shot better Monday at the Class 2A girls sectional at Mt. Prospect. Joseph broke par for the very first time in her short career, shooting a 69 to win the medalist honors by four strokes.

“I still can’t believe it,” said Joseph, who was the only golfer to break par.

“I think my mental game came through because I am very comfortable playing here. I was just able to get into a state that this is just like any other round. And I think my swing really clicked in today.”

Hersey coach Katie Fontanetta said Joseph has played well all season.

“She has had many good rounds,” Fontanatta said. “And she is fun to watch. This is also her first time breaking into the 60s. She had a phenomenal day.”

York freshman Madison Cotey was second with a 73, New Trier’s Molly Tir third with a 74 and Prospect’s Madeline Bielecki fourth with a 75.

New Trier won the team title with 312. Lake Park and Prospect both tied for second with 324 and all three teams will advance to the 2A state finals Friday and Saturday at Hickory Point Golf Club in Decatur.

Hersey set a school record with 328. But the Huskies will not make the cut for teams along with Glenbrook North’s 329, Glenbrook South’s 331 and York’s 333.

Lake Park leaned on its seniors to advance to the state finals for the first time in school history.

Samantha Rottinger shot 77, followed by Amaani Patel’s 78, Ella Ratini’s 82 and Jenna Danicek’s 87.

“I am happy for them because we are like Michigan‘s Fab Five,” Lake Park coach James Chellson said. “This is something this senior group has had as its goal. We got three individuals down last year. But it will be so much more fun to have the whole team there.”

Prospect will be searching for hotel rooms as the Knights qualified for state for the first time since 2015 when the Knights finished fifth. Along with Bielecki, the Knights, who are also all seniors, got strong performances from Peyton Camardella, who shot 80, Aribele Torres 82 and Evie Thomas 87.

“We are so excited be heading downstate,” said Prospect coach Brad Rathe, who has been head coach for eight years.

“I haven’t been down there with a team. But we have had some great individuals, so this will be a different. I have to go and figure out the hotels. We are just on cloud nine. We are going to go and have good time.“

Bielecki said that she played one her best rounds on Monday.

“I haven’t had that good of a season,” Bielecki said. “Going into it today, I was just trying to keep my head in the game and just hit the shot in front of me. We are so excited to be all playing together again.”

Camardella, who struggled on the front nine, recovered nicely on the back to shoot a 36. That included a strange up and down for par on the 18th where she had to chip on the green over a patch of grass and land back on the green.

“I had some bad shots early and started slow,” Camardella said. “I turned it around on the back and then had that strange line on 18. But I was able to make par.”

Joining Cotey as at large qualifiers are Fenwick’s Mairin Sweeney (76), Oak Park’s Nadia Vattana (78), Maine West’s Madelyn Howell (80) and Glenbrook North’s Lauren Jevon (80).

Five golfers tied for the final four positions with an 81. They played three holes with Glenbard North’s Angelina Nguyen, Hersey’s Luciana Pesoli, Glenbard North’s Lindsey Huang and Wheaton North’s Ariana Savenok all qualifying.