Emporia High’s girls golf team was clutch — and so was the rest of the field at the 5A state tournament at Salina Municipal Golf Course. That’s how a team that puts up its best score of the year only finishes in 11th place out of 12 teams.
The Spartan girls shot a 416 on Monday in their first trip to the state tournament in 18 years, beating their previous best team showing by 17 strokes. That milestone, nice as it sounds, was good for a spot 99 strokes below the winners, St. Thomas Aquinas, which shot a 317 to beat Kapaun Mt. Carmel by 22 shots.
“We played well, and we could’ve played even better, but God, the rest of the field was just smokin’ hot,” EHS coach Rick Eckert said.
None of the Spartans earned state medals. Senior Maryann Bennett led Emporia, shooting a 99 to finish 36th. Hannah Watkins shot a 102, Makenzie Harder a 106 and Melissa Heinitz a 109 to complete Emporia’s team score. Rachael Clopton shot a 113 and Kelsey Burenheide earned a personal season best with her score of 124.
“The course was actually playing very tough, because during the practice round the day before, we were playing in about a 25-mph south wind,” Eckert said. “And then for the tournament, it was overcast, cold and the wind had turned to 20 mph out of the opposite direction — it was out of the northeast all day.
“So it was a completely different feel for the girls, and I thought we adjusted pretty well. And obviously everybody else did, too.”
Aquinas’ Gianna Misenhelter won the individual championship, shooting a 73 on the par-70 course, and four of the Saints’ five other golfers also ended up in the top 12.
Bishop Carroll finished third with 355 points, followed by Hays, Arkansas City, Salina South, Andover Central, Hutchinson, Bishop Miege and Topeka West. Gardner-Edgerton finished below Emporia with 451 points.