By RICHIE HALL
Expectations are always high for the Westfield girls golf team and 2024 will be no exception.
The Shamrocks had an outstanding season last year, finishing as team runner-up. Samantha Brown, now a freshman at Purdue University, won individual medalist honors, and then-junior Addi Kooi tied for an individual runner-up medal.
Kooi
Kooi is back this year as a senior, along with two juniors that also played at state: Kelsey Haverluck and Sami Hanavan. With all that experience returning, it’s not a surprise to see that Westfield is ranked No. 2 in the Indiana High School Golf Coaches Association’s pre-season rankings.
Rocks coach Josh Bryant pointed out that Haverluck “has had a strong summer,” including a recent third-place finish in the Notah Begay Regional. Haverluck scored a 75-68=143 at the Indiana regional, which took place at Purdue University’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Club.
“We return quite a bit of varsity experience and expect to be very competitive with our veteran players and newcomers who have had great spring and summers on the course,” said Bryant.
Another player back for Westfield is senior Anna McKeown, who competed in varsity meets throughout the season. Two players that could also impact the top five are senior Sadie Edwards and sophomore Sophie Raines.
The Rocks will be playing right out of the gate when the season begins Monday, traveling to Bloomington Country Club for the Bloomington South Invitational. That will be the start of a busy opening week for Westfield, as it travels to the Lafayette Jefferson Booster Club Invitational on Tuesday, then the Tipton Invitational on Wednesday. The Shamrocks finish the week Saturday at the State Preview meet, which takes place at Prairie View in Carmel, the site of the IHSAA state finals.