Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
ROCHESTER - The Tippecanoe Valley girls golf team captured its second conference title in a row after placing first among the Three Rivers Conference teams in the TRC Invitational at Mill Creek Saturday.
The team from Western blew away the other eight competing teams to earn first place overall with a score of 330. The second-place team, Peru, finished with a 407, 77 strokes more than the Western squad.
In the TRC competition, Valley shot a 442. Rochester placed second with a 449, Manchester third with a 469 and Whitko fourth with a 498.
Individually, Manchester's Dorey Bungitak placed fourth overall with a score of 91.
"Dorey did well," said Manchester coach Keri Nichols. "It's not her best score. She shot a 76 at Fremont (Invitational) a few weeks ago. I think she shot an 84 here last year, but she did well enough to place fourth today."
Other Manchester finishers were Alexis Leininger with a 118, Lindsey Music with a 122, Lindsey Hix with a 138 and Monica Minnex with a 142.
Kendra Koser led the Vikings with a 100, while Ginger Ervin came in with Valley's second-best score, a 107. Eric Pontious' 117, Maggie Rock's 118 and Terra Weaver's 126 rounded out Valley's team scores.
"We did very well," said Valley coach Roger Moriarty. "We placed fourth overall, and it was nice to win the TRC section of the tournament again.
"The girls played pretty consistently. They faltered a bit at the end, but maybe they were just a bit tired.
"This is a nice springboard for the last half of the season."
Whitko placed fourth in the TRC and last overall. Carla Herbst and Mirada Krider led the Wildcats with 118s, while Ashley Schrader scored a 128 on the day. Cara Badskey finished the day with a 134, and Marla Rowland had a 138.
"I think the girls did a great job today considering that for the most part they are beginning golfers," said Whitko coach Jennifer Frieden. "I am definitely not disappointed with our efforts.
"We are improving. The girls are learning the game, showing improvement and having fun. The girls are meeting new people and enjoying themselves. I can't ask for anything more than that."
Western 330, Peru 407, Maconaquah 426, Tippecanoe Valley 442, Rochester 449, Eastern 452, Manchester 469, Caston 481, Whitko 498
Tippecanoe Valley team scores (442) -ÊKendra Koser 50-50-100; Ginger Ervin 52-55-107; Erica Pontious 55-62-117; Maggie Rock 55-63-118; Terra Weaver 60-66-126.
Manchester team scores (449) -ÊDorey Bungitak 44-47-91; Alexis Leininger 54-64-118; Lindsey Music 57-65-122; Lindsey Hix 64-74-138; Monica Minnex 65-77-142.
Whitko team scores (488) -ÊCarla Herbst 55-63-118; Miranda Krider 53-65-118; Ashley Schrader 70-58-128; Cara Badskey 64-70-134; Marla Rowland 67-71-138.
