The latest installment of the friendly girls golf rivalry between Carmel and Westfield played out at the Roncalli regional, which took place Friday at Smock Golf Club in Indianapolis.
The Greyhounds won that round, as they claimed the regional championship. Carmel totaled a team score of 301, with the Shamrocks placing second by scoring 306. Both teams will advance to next weekend’s state meet, which takes place at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel.
Carmel had two players finish in the top five. Ava Hedrick finished second with a score of 72, while Claire Swathwood tied for third by carding a 74. Hedrick made three birdies in her round, while Swathwood had two. In fact, all five of the Greyhounds’ players had at least one birdie: Sophie Mock and Michaela Headlee both drained two and Ava Nguyen made one.
Carmel claimed the program’s 13th regional championship. That puts the Greyhounds in a tie with Penn for second-most girls golf regional titles. The school with the most is Martinsville with 21. Carmel qualified for its 30th appearance at state, second only to Lafayette Jefferson’s 31.
Westfield also landed two players in the top five. Samantha Brown carded a 72, and won meet medalist honors in a playoff. Sophie McGinnis finished in fifth place by scoring 76.
Brown made three birdies in her round, with McGinnis draining two. Brette Hanavan and Addi Kooi both made one birdie as well. Westfield will be making its seventh appearance at state.
“We put together two consistent nines and that has been one of our strengths this year,” said Shamrocks coach Trevor Neu.. “We are excited to be heading back to Prairie View for the State Championship. I was really proud of Sam Brown who played a really clean round and won the individual medalist in a playoff.”
Center Grove took third place with a score of 325; the top three teams advance to state. University’s team placed sixth with a 346, but the Trailblazers did send a player to state: Becky Williams’ score of 79 was one of the top five by individuals not on an advancing team, earning her a chance to play at Prairie View.
Williams made one birdie in her round. Sydni Zebrauskas drained two birdies on her way to an 80, while Abby Bladen had one birdie.
Guerin Catholic’s Christina Pfefferkorn also qualified for state, as her round of 78 placed her on the individual list. The Golden Eagles’ Jenny Zerla carded an 89, making one birdie in her round.
Team scores: Carmel 301, Westfield 306, Center Grove 325, Zionsville 342, Franklin Community 342, University 346, Perry Meridian 352, Lebanon 353, Brownsburg 354, Southmont 356, Plainfield 358, Northview 385, Terre Haute North 395, Western Boone 395, Terre Haute South 398, Lawrenceburg 416, Madison 419, Jennings County 430.
Medalist: Samantha Brown (Westfield) 36-36=72, won in playoff
Carmel scores: Ava Hedrick 35-37=72, Claire Swathwood 39-35=74, Sophie Mock 38-39=77, Michaela Headlee 39-39=78, Ava Nguyen 41-40=81.
Other Westfield scores: Sophie McGinnis 40-36=76, Brette Hanavan 39-39=78, Allie Hildebrand 39-41=80, Addi Kooi 41-41=82.
University scores: Becky Williams 40-39=79, Sydni Zebrauskas 38-42=80, Kelsey DuBois 43-49=92, Abby Bladen 45-50=95, Ria Narayanan 56-48=104.
Guerin Catholic scores: Christina Pfefferkorn 39-39-78, Jenny Zerla 41-48=89.