Oak Park and River Forest senior golfer Katie Latham enjoyed a great, third-place round at last year’s Class 2A regional.
She wasn’t as fortunate on the same Cog Hill course at sectionals.
“I had my best round of the whole year (80 at regionals) and then the next week I just didn’t play as well as I hoped (90),” Latham said. “It’s golf. It’s frustrating, but somehow it keeps me coming back.”
Latham is back for her fourth varsity season, and she’s hoping to qualify for her first state meet after two close calls.
On Sept. 28, Latham finished a personal-best eighth at the West Suburban Conference Meet at Village Greens (84) on one of the first cold and windy days of the fall.
Senior Megan Sullivan and sophomore Haley Gladden shot 98s, followed by seniors Paige Mosher (100), Renee Gagliardo (103) and Grace Gleason (104). The Huskies were fifth (380), losing out on a fifth-score tiebreaker with Downers Grove South by three strokes, and fifth in the final overall standings.
Under new head coach Joe Parenti, a former assistant for boys coach Doug Brown, the Huskies are hoping for a top-three finish at the 2A Fenwick Regional Wednesday at Cog Hill to advance to the Schaumburg Sectional Monday, Oct. 10.
Latham, Sullivan, Mosher and Gagliardo return from last year’s sectional-qualifying lineup that finished 10th.
Latham’s 90 missed the sectional’s individual state cutoff score by three strokes. In 2014, the Huskies’ sectional lineup with Latham and Mosher was beaten out for third place and the last team state-qualifying spot on a fifth-score tiebreaker with Wheaton Warrenville South.
“Definitely these past two years I’ve kept my eyes on (state), but hopefully this year is the year,” Latham said. “I think over the years I’ve learned the nerves shouldn’t be the thing that’s keeping me or keeping the team from being successful.”
OPRF boys golf
Gavin Giles was the lone senior in the Huskies’ lineup for the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Sept. 27 at Prairie Bluff.
“Just playing with some of those younger kids, it’s fun being the older guy, the guy to talk to and to ask if they have any questions,” Giles said.
The Huskies finished sixth (347) in the final overall standings.
Sophomore John Parker shot 84, four strokes from contending for top-14 all-conference medalist honors, followed by freshman Aiden Wittenberg (85), junior Mike Milad and freshman Jack Derks (85s), sophomore Andrew Corsini (90) and Giles (96).
In duals, the Huskies were 2-7, beating Proviso West and Whitney Young and losing by a stroke to Leyden. Wittenberg and Derks were promoted to varsity after the Batavia Invite Sept.10.
The Huskies were scheduled to compete in the Class 3A Addison Trail Regional Tuesday with hopes of advancing to the Loyola Sectional Monday, Oct. 10.
Giles and Parker are the lone returnees from last year’s 10th-place sectional finisher. Giles and Ben Iverson are the lone seniors on the roster.
“(I want to) just do what I can, hopefully help my guys out,” Giles said. “I think we have a decent chance of getting out (of regionals) and maybe competing at state.”
