Girls golf: Dirst's ace helps Libertyville claim sectional spot

Kate Dirst came up with the shot of her life when it mattered most.

The top three teams at Thursday's Warren Class 2A girls golf regional were advancing to sectionals, and Libertyville was locked in a tough battle to earn the third qualification spot.

Then Dirst, a Wildcats junior, stepped to the 17th tee.

She proceeded to hit a pitching wedge into the cup for a hole-in-one, and the clutch shot helped propel her team to a third-place finish with a score of 378.

Warren won the meet by carding a 368 at Thunderhawk Golf Club. Carmel was second at 371, while Kate Roberts of the Corsairs won medalist honors by shooting 83, a round that included a birdie on the difficult par-5 7th.

"It was coming right down to the wire," said Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen of the Wildcats' chances to move on. "Then that shot (the first ace) by Kate really kick-started us."

Dirst said that once the ball went in the cup, "everyone started cheering, including my coaches and my teammates."

"I really never thought I could do something like this," she added. "I feel great right now. Just amazing to be a part of this team."

"Once I hit the ball, it went really straight, then curved a little bit to the left. It bounced on the green a couple of times, then rolled into the hole. I just stood there frozen for awhile."

Pedersen said that Dirst is "very stoic, and I think she was kind of stunned. We all saw it drop in, and that shot played a big role for us. We sort of had a little party on the course right then and there."

For the champion Blue Devils, Alaina Goeden led the way with an 89, good for a tie for second place individually.

"Our depth as a team really helped us prevail today," said Warren coach Leigh Ann Mondrawickas-Boncher. "That's the strongest part of our squad. From one through six, they all have the ability to be in the top four scores."

"Alaina has been working very hard, and she made the most of her ability today," added the coach. "She struggled at times but stuck with it."

Ten individuals not part of qualifying teams also move on to Monday's Huntley sectional at Pinecrest Golf Course.

That list includes Madison Donovan (91), Aubree Lundin (94) and Kilynn Axelson (99) from McHenry; McKenna Sosnowski (91) and Maia Becker (94) of Lakes; Lynea Sekany (94) and Sydney Parker (99) from Antioch; Grant's Riley Daniele (96); Alyssa Johnson from Mundelein, and Emma Carter from Grayslake North.

Contributing to the Warren win were Ally Badgley with a 90; Josie Leibfried, who shot 93; and Sophia Pas at 96.

Macaire Everett (89, second place tie), Scarlett Lindgren (99) and Meredith Hubbartt all counted scores for runner-up Carmel.

For the Wildcats, who will advance as a team to the sectional meet along with the Blue Devils and Corsairs, Sophia Cesnovar paced the team with an 89 (tied for the runner-up medal), while Jocelyn Hurh (92), Dirst (96), and Audrey Weadick all counted scores.

"Sophia has turned a corner, she's really playing well right now," said Pedersen, "and Jocelyn has just been rock steady. She puts everything right down the middle, and you need a player like that, especially here at Thunderhawk."