The Fenwick High School girls golf team narrowly missed qualifying for the IHSA state finals as a team at the Class 2A Hinsdale South sectional, Oct. 2.
The Friars tied with Lyons Township for third place with 340 points, but the Lions advanced due to the first tiebreaker — the scores of each school’s fifth golfer. Only the top three schools along with the top 10 individuals from non-qualifying schools go downstate from each sectional.
“The tiebreaker just killed me,” said Fenwick coach Mike Trankina. “I wish there would’ve been a playoff. We did way better than we have in a long time, and I am thrilled with the job the girls did.”
Fenwick did advance one individual to the IHSA state finals: freshman Mairin Sweeney, who shot an 80.
“She’s been amazing,” Trankina said. “She’s pretty intense, and nothing bothers her when she’s on the course. She stays focused, just like Kathryn [Mairin’s older sister].”
Kathryn Sweeney, a senior who was the top medalist at the IHSA Class 2A St. Ignatius regional on Sept. 27 with a score of 78, missed the downstate qualifying cut by two strokes, carding a round of 84.
“I’m going to miss having Kathryn on the team so much,” Trankina said. “I wanted nothing more for her than to get downstate. It just wasn’t Kathryn’s day today; she was missing the putts she normally makes, and that’s what it comes down to sometimes.”
Juniors Olivia Tsitovich (89), Emma Maria Bassett (89), Molly Mullen (103), and Megan Grote (107) completed the Friars’ lineup.
“The year turned out way better than I anticipated,” Trankina said. “We had a lot of untested talent, but they responded and did unbelievably well. We still have Mairin downstate, and we’ll see how that goes.”
Fenwick took second at the St. Ignatius regional with a score of 337, three strokes behind champion Oak Park and River Forest.
OPRF
The Huskies achieved a program goal with their St. Ignatius regional title, shooting 334.
Senior Faith Lee led the way with a score of 81, good for a 4th-place tie. Freshman Nadia Vattana was fifth with an 82, and seniors Ella Homrok (8th, 85) and Renner Prouty (T-9th, 86) were also among the top 10 individuals for OPRF.
Junior Jane Sounders (T-11th, 88) and senior Trinity Mosher (T-17th, 92) completed the Huskies’ lineup.
“That was something that the girls were really getting up for, and I was pretty excited we were able to achieve [the regional title],” said OPRF coach Matt McMurray. “It’s only the second time we’ve done it in my tenure.” OPRF won the Payton Prep regional in 2018.
The Huskies hoping to keep the momentum going at Hinsdale South, but they ran into stiff competition and finished ninth with a score of 355.
“We had a pretty cold start on the front nine, and it was hard to recover from that,” McMurray said. “We just didn’t have our best stuff on the biggest day, but I’m proud of them. We had a good season.”
Although OPRF didn’t advance any individuals downstate, McMurray felt Vattana acquitted herself well at the sectional, shooting an 84 to miss the qualifying cut by two strokes.
“Nadia played pretty well,” he said. “She played through some physical ailments today, and the way she competed is a good sign for the program’s future going forward.”
Prouty (87), Homrok (91), Lee (93), Mosher (95), and Sounders (104) completed the lineup. All but Sounders and Vattana are part of a large senior group that will be lost to graduation. But McMurray is optimistic about the Huskies’ future.
“We’ll definitely take a hit as we’re losing our two senior captains,” he said. “But we’ve got a good group of girls coming back.”