Ten of last year’s 15 qualifying teams return, including top-ranked Penn and defending state champion Yorktown, for the 41st Annual IHSAA Girls Golf State Finals at The Legends Golf Club in Franklin this weekend.
All competitors will play 36 holes over the two-day event. A total of 15 teams have advanced five golfers each and 25 individuals have moved on without their squads for a total of 100 participants representing 40 different schools. Groups will be teeing off the Middle 9 course and the Road 9 course at 8:30 am ET / 7:30 am CT on Friday. The first round tee times and pairings are available here.
After posting the tournament’s best score (297) thus far last Saturday at Noble Hawk in Kendallville to earn its sixth consecutive regional crown, Penn appears primed for its first state championship since 2005. They’ll have plenty of competition, however as No. 2 Carmel, No. 3 Valparaiso, No. 4 Zionsville and No. 5 Noblesville each qualified for the team competition as well. Valparaiso won the regional crown at Battle Ground in Lafayette, Zionsville won its first regional in team history at Smock in Indianapolis while Noblesville will compete in the state finals for the 10th consecutive year after finishing second at Westwood in New Castle.
No. 8 Yorktown is the defending state champion and hopes for a repeat performance this weekend. The Tigers finished third at Westwood on Saturday, just three strokes behind the winning No. 6 Hamilton Southeastern squad.
Among the individuals, no previous champion or runner-up is in this year’s field though five of last year’s top 10 finishers have earned their way back for a shot at the top prize. Among them are regional winners Harley Dubsky of Valparaiso, last year’s third place finisher, and Kari Bellville of Penn, who placed 10th a year ago. Others from last year’s top finishing group are Madison’s Amanda Detmer (T6th), Anderson’s Morgan Nadaline (8th) and Roncalli’s Abbey Gleixner (9th).
Others to keep an eye on include Cherise Otter of Bloomington South who won last week’s regional at Country Oaks, Karli LaGrotte of Indianapolis Cathedral who won at Westwood and Lucy Stevens of Zionsville, the winner at Smock.
Of special note, NorthWood qualified for the state finals as a team for the first time in school history after the Panthers captured the runner-up spot at Noble Hawk last Saturday. And Madison ended an 11-year drought (2002) between trips to the state finals with its third place finish at Smock, the longest span between this year’s teams with multiple visits.
All are invited to view the progress of the state finals by visiting Golfstat.com. The IHSAA will post the hole-by-hole scores for every player throughout the two days.
State Finals
The Legends Golf Club, 2555 N. Hurricane Road, Franklin, IN, 46131.
Day 1: Friday, Oct. 4, 2013, 8:30 am ET / 7:30 am CT.
Day 2: Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, 8:30 am ET / 7:30 am CT.
Admission: $12 per person (ticket good for both days).
Advancement: All teams and individuals will play 36 holes.
Feeder Regionals: East Noble, Lafayette Jefferson, New Castle, Roncalli, Washington.
Live Scoring: GolfStat.com
Notables
Teams Qualified (15) *indicates regional champion.
Carmel, Chesterton, Evansville North, Floyd Central, Hamilton Southeastern*, Lake Central, Madison, Martinsville*, Noblesville, NorthWood, Penn*, Rochester, Valparaiso*, Yorktown, Zionsville*.
Teams Returning from 2012 State Finals (10 of 15)
Carmel, Chesterton, Evansville North, Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville, Penn, Rochester, Valparaiso, Yorktown, Zionsville.
Top 20 Coaches Poll (End of regular season) from Indiana High School Golf Coaches Association
1. Penn
2. Carmel
3. Valparaiso
4. Zionsville
5. Noblesville
6. Hamilton Southeastern
7. Evansville North
8. Yorktown
9. Lafayette Jeff
10. Martinsville
11. Floyd Central
12. Marion
13. Lake Central
14. Columbus East
15. Indianapolis Cathedral
16. Vincennes Rivet
17. Columbus North
18. Roncalli
19. Avon
20. Evansville Memorial
Honorable Mention: Bloomington South, Crown Point, NorthWood.
Individuals Qualified without a Team (25)
Kayla Adamson (12), Marion.
Sydney Anderson (11), Columbus North.
Sarah Baxter (11), Guerin Catholic.
Tessa Brouillette (12), Benton Central.
Morgan Brown (10), Lafayette Central Catholic.
Jaycee Bunner (11), Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian.
Abbie Carlsen (11), Lafayette Jefferson.
Tiffany Curtis (10), Crown Point.
Paxton DeHaven (12), Seymour.
Annie Getzin (12),Jasper.
Abbey Gleixner (12), Roncalli.
Hailey Harris (12), McCutcheon.
Karli LaGrotte (12), Indianapolis Cathedral.
Nikki LaLonde (12), Warsaw.
Payton Meeks (11), Vincennes Rivet.
Morgan Nadaline (12), Anderson.
Elizabeth Orr (11), Springs Valley.
Cherise Otter (10), Bloomington South.
Kiley Swisher (10), Seeger.
Lauren Tibbets (11), Oak Hill.
Emily Tilton (11), Pendleton Heights.
Katie Vaux (11), Perry Meridian.
Danielle Warthen (12), Mooresville.
Alexa West (12), Whiteland.
Sydney Willis (10), South Adams.
Individuals Returning from 2012 Top 10 (5)
3. Harley Dubsky, Valparaiso, 74-69-143
T6. Amanda Detmer, Madison, 72-73-145
8. Morgan Nadaline, Anderson, 71-76-147
9. Abbey Gleixner, Roncalli, 74-75-149
10. Kari Bellville, Penn, 74-76-150
Teams Returning from 2012 Top 10 (8)
1. Yorktown, 319-306-625
2. Carmel, 321-318-639
3. Noblesville, 328-323-651
4. Penn, 324-329-653
T5. Evansville North, 333-329-662
T5. Valparaiso, 334-328-662
7. Chesterton, 340-329-669
T8. Zionsville, 342-330-672
Most Consecutive State Finals Appearances
12: Martinsville (1990-2001).
Active Streaks of Consecutive State Finals Team Appearances (3 or more years)
10: Noblesville.
9: Hamilton Southeastern.
7: Carmel.
6: Chesterton, Penn.
5: Valparaiso.
4: Zionsville.
3: Evansville North, Yorktown.
First-Time Team State Finals Appearances
NorthWood.
State Finals Appearance Droughts Broken
11 years: Madison (2002).
6 years: Floyd Central, Lake Central (2007).
Former State Champions in the Field
None.
Former State Runners-Up in the Field
None.
First-Time Regional Champions in the Field
Zionsville.
Regional Championship Droughts Broken
7 years: Valparaiso (2006).
Best Scores in 2012 State Tournament (Among State Finalists)
297: Penn (regional).
298: Carmel (sectional).
304: Hamilton Southeastern (sectional).
309: Martinsville (sectional).
Best Scores in 2012 State Tournament (Among State Finalists)
69: Claire Cameron, Martinsville (sectional).
69: Abbey Gleixner, Roncalli (sectional).
69: Taylor Howerton, Evansville North (sectional).
69: Karli LaGrotte, Indianapolis Cathedral (sectional).
71: Harley Dubsky, Valparaiso (sectional).