Golfers win regional title; fall in playoff in bid for state
On a lot of high school golf teams, the gap between the top one or two players and the rest of the team can be substantial. Not so with the Wildcat girls. The Cats had four players finish in the top 10, separated by just five strokes, on their way to winning a WIAA Division 1 regional championship at New Richmond last Wednesday. Tuesday, they lost in a one-hole playoff to the Tigers for a berth in next week’s state tournament.By: Bob Burrows, River Falls Journal
- Regional champs
On a lot of high school golf teams, the gap between the top one or two players and the rest of the team can be substantial.
Not so with the Wildcat girls.
The Cats had four players finish in the top 10, separated by just five strokes, on their way to winning a WIAA Division 1 regional championship at New Richmond last Wednesday. Tuesday, they lost in a one-hole playoff to the Tigers for a berth in next week’s state tournament.
Last Wednesday, River Falls finished with a team score of 372, six strokes better than the host Tigers, to win the regional title.
The Cats, Tigers, Eau Claire Memorial and Hudson all moved on to the sectional tournament in Holmen this past Tuesday, Oct. 5, where River Falls and New Richmond finished in a tie for second place, each with scores of 374, forcing a playoff for the second and final qualifying spot for next week’s state tournament in Madison.
All five golfers from each team played in a one-hole playoff with the top four scores counting towards the team total. New Richmond finished with a total of 16 on the hole while the Wildcats totaled 21, sending the Tigers to state along with first-place Onalaska, and ending the Wildcats’ season.
Wildcat freshman Halle Hauer led the Cats with seventh-place score of 87, but came up two strokes short of qualifying for state as an individual.
Mari Pechacek finished 13th with an 89 while Kacey Simone was 24th with 95 and Ellise Heiman placed 36th with a 103. A total of eight teams and 48 players competed in the sectional.
River Falls’ regional title comes on the heels of the Cats earning a share of the Big Rivers Conference championship.
“They had great course management in New Richmond and played smart,” coach Melissa Moser said. “They focus as a team, which is why I feel they have had such a successful season so far.”
Hauer tied for fourth place overall and paced the Cats with a score of 90 while Pechacek finished in sixth place with 93. Kayla Swanson tied for seventh with 94 and Simone tied for ninth with 95 to account for the Cats’ team total of 372. No other team had more than two players in the top 10.
Heiman finished with a score of 101 Wednesday while alternate Abby James traveled with the team but didn’t play.
Hudson’s Cassie Wurm earned medalist honors with a round of 79 at last Wednesday’s regional and finished third at Tuesday’s sectional to qualify for state as an individual.
River Falls, New Richmond, Eau Claire Memorial and Hudson were joined by the top four teams from the Stevens Point regional -- Onalaska, La Crosse Logan/Central, Tomah and Holmen at the sectional tournament Tuesday at Trempealeau Mountain Golf Course.
The top two teams, and the top three individuals who are not members of qualifying teams, advanced to the WIAA Girls State Golf Championships Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 10-11, at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.
Tags: sports, wildcats, golf, prep
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