By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
For the second day in a row, the Westfield and Zionsville girls golf teams battled it out in a tournament.
The Eagles got the Shamrocks by two shots Wednesday at their own tournament at the Golf Club of Indiana. On Thursday, it was Westfield’s turn to win as the ‘Rocks edged Zionsville to take the trophy at the Crooked Stick Invitational, which took place on a pleasant evening at the famed course in Carmel.
Both teams finished with a team score of 325, so it came down to the fifth-woman score. That’s where the Shamrocks got the win, as Margaret Wentz’s 88 was three shots better than the Eagles’ fifth score.
This is the third win in four tournaments for the ‘Rocks.
“It was really tough out there today. I think that everybody did their best to battle the course, the conditions,” said Westfield coach Trevor Neu. “It was windy. The pins were in really tough locations. So I think overall, we did our best job to mentally stay focused and put up the best scores that we could today.”
The Shamrocks won with consistent scores. Jocelyn Bruch led the way with a 78, tying her for second place, followed by Caylin Henderson with a 79.
“That’s one of the things that is going to be our focus throughout the year is just maintaining the consistency throughout that one through five,” said Neu.
Next up for Westfield is the State Preview meet, which is Saturday at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel, the site of the IHSAA state finals.
The Greyhounds will be at the State Preview, too. At Crooked Stick, Carmel wasn’t far behind the top two, placing third with a 331. Nina Hecht tied for second with a 78, while Alex Waples carded an 82.
“We had a great front nine as a team but made some big numbers on the back nine,” said Greyhounds coach Kelly Kluesner. “It was still a good day for us!”
Hamilton Southeastern finished with a 349. Chelsea Morrow and Julia Eaton both carded 86s. The Royals will also be at the State Preview meet.
TEAM SCORES: Westfield 325 (wins on fifth score), Zionsville 325, Carmel 331, Hamilton Southeastern 349, Cathedral 360, Brebeuf Jesuit 429.
Medalist: Annabelle Pancake (Z) 71.
Westfield scores: Jocelyn Bruch 78, Cailyn Henderson 79, Adrienne Montalone 82, Natalie Shupe 86, Margaret Wentz 88.
Carmel scores: Nina Hecht 78, Alex Waples 82, Katie Kuc 84, Erin Evans 87, Elizabeth Hedrick 94.
Southeastern scores: Chelsea Morrow 86, Julia Eaton 86, Haleigh Gray 88, Dagny Gladwell 89, Nicole Dillow 97.
Individuals: Emma Clary (W) 92, Libby McGuire (Car) 93.
HUSKIES PLAY AT WEST LAFAYETTE INVITE
Hamilton Heights competed in the West Lafayette Girls Golf Invitational Thursday at Ackerman-Allen Golf Course on the Purdue Campus.
The Huskies carded a score of 421 in the 16-team field. Kate Biggs led Heights with a 93, followed by Alyx Harley 98, Ellie Arrowood 100, Mallori Clark 130 and Veronica Meredith 143.
TEAM SCORES: Lafayette Jefferson 309, Lake Central 325, Western 341, Twin Lakes 365, Lafayette Jefferson JV 369, Northwestern 371, Harrison 380, Tipton 381, Benton Central 390, Western JV 395, McCutcheon 404, Rensselaer 414, Hamilton Heights 421, Frankfort 448, West Lafayette 467, Logansport 477.
Medalist: Alexis Miestowski (Lake Central) 65.
The Westfield girls golf team won the Crooked Stick Invitational on Thursday, beating out Zionsville on the fifth score after both teams carded 325s. This is the third tournament win for the Shamrocks in four events this week. (Richie Hall)