Girls golf: Benet's Beaudreau can't be denied
Lauren Beaudreau continued her postseason brilliance Wednesday afternoon at Willowcrest Golf Club.
The reigning Class AA Neuqua Valley girls golf sectional champion was fourth in the state tournament last fall as a freshman.
The Benet standout overcame a shaky start at the Hinsdale Central regional to capture the individual title with a level-par 72.
The medalist performance was invaluable in Benet claiming the third qualifying slot to the Lockport sectional on Tuesday at Broken Arrow.
Two-time defending state champion Hinsdale Central cruised to its 10th consecutive regional championship behind the play of Penn-bound senior Selina Zeng.
The Red Devils' 311 total was 18 shots better than runner-up Naperville North, which was powered by sisters Lauren and Emily Nay.
Benet finished comfortably ahead of Downers Grove North (366) with its 332 total.
"I was struggling early today, but I shot 2-under for my last six holes," Beaudreau, a sophomore, said. "I drove the ball great today. I think I hit every fairway, which put me in range for wedges to the green. It made the course much easier, especially with the conditions."
"The greens were super fast," Benet coach Michael Bremner said. "Lauren put up a great score, obviously. She really pulled it together the last six or seven holes. That kind of set her apart (from the field). When she puts up a score like that, it gives the other girls a lot of confidence."
The two Hinsdale Central golf programs have combined for six straight largest-class state titles.
"We have such great team chemistry and we have great depth," said top-ranked Zeng, who was runner-up to Beaudreau with her 75. "The whole experience of going downstate, it's so much more fun as a team. Even if I were to qualify as an individual, I don't think I would enjoy high school golf as much."
Lauren and Emily Nay authored respective rounds of 77 and 81 to complement the play of teammates Mara Flaherty and Emily Harrington.
"(Emily and I) are so close," Lauren Nay said of her little sister. "I love it. (My round) was not great. I know there's so much room for improvement. I was having problems with my driver, so I quit using it."
"I just came out (for golf) wanting to have fun, not thinking I would have too much of an impact," Emily Nay, a freshman, said. "There were a lot of ups and downs today. You had to get over that frustration and keep playing."
In addition to the individual champion, Benet was anchored by the counting scores from Isabella Abdullah, Abby Bitto and Caroline Wing.
Naperville Central freshman Emma Lim had the low round among the 10 at-large qualifiers.
The individual cut fell at 95, but the Redhawks' top-rated player came home with an 82 for fifth-place Naperville Central (371).
"Golf is my main sport," Lim said. "I started the day pretty well. The way I played reflects how hard I have worked."
Downers North will not have another milestone season after qualifying for the state tournament for the first time in program history last fall, but the Trojans' Central Michigan-bound Rachel Leucuta, Annie Bedalov, Olivia Weaver and Colleen Miller advanced as individuals.