By RICHIE HALL
It had been a while since Carmel had won a girls golf sectional – five years, to be exact.
The Greyhounds finally ended that drought on Friday. Carmel won the Ben Davis sectional with an outstanding score of 288. The ‘Hounds led a Hamilton County sweep of the top three, with Guerin Catholic second and Westfield third. All three schools advance to next week’s Roncalli regional at Smock Golf Club.
Carmel’s win was the 11th in school history and the first since 2013. It also made a little history – the 288 is the second-lowest sectional score in IHSAA history. The lowest mark was set last year, with Zionsville shooting a 284 to win the Brownsburg sectional.
“Definitely a best score us,” said Greyhounds coach Kelly Kluesner. “All the girls played amazing. When you have to throw out a 76, you’re always happy.”
Carmel had the individual medalist as well, with senior Nina Hecht defending her title by carding a two-under par 68, a personal best. Hecht won last year with a 69, so she bettered her score by one shot.
“Feels really good, especially since it’s my senior year,” said Hecht. “Hopefully I can keep up the good momentum and the team’s momentum as well.”
Hecht had three birdies for the tournament. Katie Kuc tied for third individually with a 72, also making three birdies. Elizabeth Hedrick and Ella Woods both carded 74s, each with two birdies, and Ava Hedrick’s 76 contained one birdie.
“Everything went right today,” said Kluesner.
The Golden Eagles ended a five-year drought of their own at South Grove by qualifying for the regional for the first time since 2013. Guerin Catholic totaled 300 as a team.
“I think we played pretty solid golf today,” said GC coach Mark Mathews. “Seventy-two, 73, 75, 80 is a pretty good score for us.”
Angelica Pfefferkorn tied for third with a 72, making two birdies, and Mckayla Tallman was right behind with a 73, including four birdies.
“I’m really proud of Mckayla,” said Mathews. “It’s her senior year. It’s important for her to have a good round of golf today.”
Christina Pfefferkorn collected two birdies on her way to a 75, while Sophie McGinnis scored 80.
Westfield’s four-year run of sectional titles came to an end, but the Shamrocks are still advancing to the regional with a 305. Natalie Shupe led Westfield with a 75, including two birdies. In fact, all five Shamrocks had at least one birdie: Jocelyn Bruch had three, Grace Snyder two, and Cate Jensen and Brette Hanavan had one each.
“We’re super pleased with our score today,” said Westfield coach Trevor Neu, who said that 305 is the Shamrocks’ best score all year.
“Everything’s trending in the right direction for us,” said Neu. “We know what we have in front of us and we have goals and a way that we want to go about playing the course each week, and the kids are doing that. To have four scores in the 70s today was outstanding for us.”
University will have an individual qualifier at the regional. Becky Williams scored an 80 to be one of the three players on non-advancing teams to earn a spot at Smock. Williams joins Keely Jones of Ben Davis, who was second overall with a 71 (including five birdies), and Faith Egenolf of Covenant Christian, who carded an 83.
“It feels really good,” said Williams, who made three birdies. “I’ve been struggling the past week and it felt really nice to put in a solid round today.
The Trailblazers’ Joella Layman also made a birdie during her round.
Team scores: Carmel 288, Guerin Catholic 300, Westfield 305, Ben Davis 343, Brebeuf Jesuit 347, Covenant Christian 375, University 384, Cardinal Ritter 400, Speedway 420, Pike 439.
Medalist: Nina Hecht (Carmel) 34-34=68.
Other Carmel scores: Katie Kuc 38-34=72, Elizabeth Hedrick 38-36=74, Ella Woods 36-38=74, Ava Hedrick 39-37=76.
Guerin Catholic scores: Angelica Pfefferkorn 39-33=72, Mckayla Tallman 36-37=73, Christina Pfefferkorn 40-35=75, Sophie McGinnis 41-39=80, Jenna Rust 46-51=97.
Westfield scores: Natalie Shupe 36-39=75, Jocelyn Bruch 39-37=76, Grace Snyder 37-39=76, Cate Jensen 38-40=78, Brette Hanavan 42-41=83.
University scores: Becky Williams 40-40=80, Molly Bickle 46-47=93, Joella Layman 54-48=102, Meredith Rogers 54-55=109, Kenzie Binford 61-58=119.
The Carmel girls golf team won its first sectional in five years Friday, triumphing at the Ben Davis sectional at South Grove Golf Course. The Greyhounds’ score of 288 is the second-lowest sectional round in IHSAA history. (Richie Hall)