For the third time in as many years, Fenwick High School junior Mairin Sweeney has qualified for the IHSA state girls golf individual finals. At the Class 2A Lockport Township Sectional, Oct. 6, Sweeney shot a round of 76 to place seventh overall. It marks her best Fenwick round in competition.
The top 10 individuals from teams that did not advance qualify to go to the state finals, and Sweeney’s score was the third-lowest in the group.
“I am so proud of her,” said Fenwick coach Mike Trankina. “She’s getting up there with the big names in the state. She put in a lot of work this summer and throughout the season.”
The Class 2A finals take place at Hickory Point in Decatur, Oct. 10-11. Trankina hopes Sweeney can better her finish from last year, when she placed 77th and thinks she has a shot at All-State honors.
Fenwick placed fifth in the team standings with 343 strokes, one behind OPRF and 23 behind third-place Downers Grove North, the last team qualifier. Sophomores Lila Gaddipati (87) and Maddy Roginski (89), seniors Maddy Cox (91) and Kate Cox (98), and junior Noel Gallery (103) rounded out the Friars’ lineup.
“They did really good,” Trankina said of his team. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
OPRF
Joining Sweeney at state is OPRF junior Nadia Vattana, who carded a round of 77 to finish fourth among individuals from non-qualifying teams and eighth overall.
“Nadia played very well,” said OPRF coach Matt McMurray. “I was impressed with her tenacity. She had a couple of rough holes on the front nine, but came back and shot even-par on the back nine.
“Nadia looks better than last year and after a little difficulty at conference and regionals, she seems to have found her groove,” he added. Vattana finished tied for 55th in last year’s finals. “We’re on track for our goal, which is for her to finish higher than last season, finish inside the top 25-30 in the state.”
The Huskies finished fourth at Lockport with a score of 342. Sophomore Maeve Gibbs and senior Courtney Moore each shot 87. Juniors Chaya Shah Hempel (91), Samantha Leung (92), and Maddie Zielinski (102) completed OPRF’s lineup.
“I was happy we came back and bested teams that beat us at regionals,” McMurray said. “I was really happy about the level of improvement. Next year, we’ll get back all of our top eight except for Courtney. It’s going to be an exciting season.”
Fenwick boys
The Friars had every reason to feel confident about their chances at the Class 3A Payton Prep Sectional at Harborside in Chicago, Oct. 6, having won the regional team title on the same course last week.
But despite several strong efforts, Fenwick could only muster an eighth-place finish with a team score of 303. Moreover, the Friars were not able to advance any individuals to the state finals.
“At the beginning of the year, we said we wanted to be playing our best golf at this time,” said Fenwick coach Kyle Perry. “The boys absolutely accomplished that. We certainly have nothing to hang our heads about.”
Senior Ryan Brennan came closest to qualifying as he shot a 74, two strokes shy of the cutoff score for the top 10 individuals from non-qualifying teams. Senior Luke Sherlock, who qualified for last year’s 2A finals, and junior Alex Kulisek were a shot behind Brennan, shooting a 75.
Senior John Cox (79), junior James Papp (81), and senior Michael McMahon (92) completed Fenwick’s lineup.
“We’re going to miss the seniors,” Perry said. “We’re also optimistic and excited about next year.”
OPRF boys
Six Huskies competed as individuals at Payton Prep. However, none of them were able to advance to the state finals.
Still, several good efforts were turned in. Senior Luke Roberts fell short of qualifying by two strokes as he shot a 74. Juniors Jackson Dodd and Will Timchak, along with senior Griffin Lane, all shot 75. Junior Karsten Davis shot an 80 with senior James Kelly carding an 81.
“We shot lower than some great programs,” said OPRF coach Bill Young. “We finished ahead of teams that advanced out of their regionals, so this was a good showing.”