HARTINGTON — Two of LCC’s girls golfers extended their season for one more match, while the Wayne High girls saw their season come to an end.
Golfers battled wet conditions and the occasional shower Monday afternoon in the C-3 district tournament at Hartington Country Club, and at the end of the day it was Lady Bear seniors Brooke Young and Nicole Hanson who found their way to a qualifying trip to next week’s state golf tournament in North Platte.
The LCC senior duo led the Lady Bears to an eighth-place finish in the 13-team tournament and both finished in the top 10 to earn a trip to the Class C State Girls Golf Championships next week in North Platte.
“I’m so excited to have my two seniors go,” LCC coach Christina Patefield said after the girls received their medals. “They played awesome and came on strong at the end of the season and I’m really proud of them.”
Both Young and Hanson carded rounds of 50 on their first trip around the nine-hole course. Hanson matched her 50 on the second time through, but Young improved to a 47 to finish sixth, two spots ahead of her teammate.
While the Lady Bears got two individuals in, the Wayne High team was unable to get a qualifier in for state and finished ninth, six shots behind LCC with a 478.
“To ask the girls to play their best golf in the circumstances today was a challenge, and I think maybe the girls pressed a little early and tried to do more than they wanted,” coach Josh Johnson said. “They settled down and played well for a while, but eventually I think we struggled down the stretch. It was just a tough day in general.”
Senior Megan Keiser battled through a round of 111 to lead the Blue Devil girls, while junior Hana Nelsen shot 119 and freshman Natalie Bentjen added a 121. Seniors Taylor French and Elizabeth Junck added rounds of 127 and 134, respectively.
For the Lady Bears’ Young, this will be her second trip to state after qualifying as a sophomore in 2015. Hanson, meanwhile, will make her first trip to state, but has some experience to lean on with both her teammate and her coach.
“These seniors have been through it this season and know how to battle through, and it will be good to have Brooke’s experience for Nicole to learn from,” Patefield said. “I’ve been there as well, so we’ll both be able to help Nicole at state.”
For Johnson, he said it is a tough when a senior’s season comes to an end, but he had nothing but good things to say about his team leaders, including Keiser, Junck, French and Kecia Schenk.
“It’s always fun to have seniors along for the ride and then when it’s over it’s sad,” he said. ‘They’ve always done things the right way and always played with good ethics and etiquette and did it the right way, rain or shine. I just wished it would have ended better for the seniors but I’m proud of them and wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
