MIDDLEBURY — The three-team Northern Lakes Conference match at Middlebury’s Meadow Valley Golf Club Tuesday was all about seeding for the upcoming conference tournament. With two-time defending NLC champion NorthWood joining Wawasee as the two remaining 5-0 teams in the conference, Tuesday’s winner would be the top seed at Saturday’s NLC Championships at South Shore Golf Club in Syracuse. As it was NorthWood shot a 176 on the par-36 front nine at Meadow Valley, followed by Wawasee’s 180 and Northridge’s 226. “We came out a little on the short end, but it’s not like we played terrible,” Wawasee coach Steve Coverstone said. “I’m sure all the girls will be thinking of shots they could have saved,” he added. “Their No. 1 girl (Linnzie Richner) played really well today. She shot a 39, and that’s the difference, really.” Wrapping up the regular season at 7-0, NorthWood picked up eight points in the round robin format, with Wawasee finishing second at 6-1 and getting seven points. Third place gets six points, and on down the line. The winner of the NLC Match at South Shore will also be awarded eight points, with second getting seven and so forth. The combined scores from the regular season record and conference tournament finish are then added to determine the overall champion. With NorthWood and Wawasee separating themselves from the rest of the NLC pack, Wawasee will most likely be vying for conference tournament title to at least split the overall championship with the Lady Panthers. “They have talent and experience,” Coverstone said of the Lady Panthers, who finished 15th at state last year, but graduated two-time NLC individual champion Heidi Morganthaler. “We have talent and experience too, but they’ve been to bigger matches over the last few years. That’s something we need to overcome.” Saturday’s matchup won’t be the first time the two have met at South Shore, as NorthWood won the Aug. 16 Wawasee Invitational with a 353, followed by the Lady Warriors’ second-place score of 370. “It’s always tough to do well in your own invite,” Coverstone said. “I think that was part of it. This won’t be our invite, so I won’t be running it – someone else will be there. We’re going to go out and do the best we can Saturday and see what happens.” Since that tournament, Wawasee has finished better than NorthWood at the Rochester Invitational on Aug. 23 and at last Saturday’s Culver Girls Academy Invitational. In their final conference matches Tuesday, NorthWood’s Linnzie Richner was the top player of the evening with a 39. The rest of NorthWood’s scores included Rachel Beebe’s 42, Summer Stillson’s 45 and Madison Richner’s 50, while Baillie Richner finished with a fifth-player score of 52, recording the round’s only birdie. For Wawasee, it had a balanced attack, led by 44s from Mikala Mawhorter and Elizabeth Jackson, while Kylee Rostochak posted a 45, Aubrey Schmeltz recorded a 47 and Kamryn Foy rounded out the five players with a 53. Knowing what’s on the line Saturday, Coverstone feels NorthWood may have an advantage with experience in big matches, but believes his girls are right on the cusp. “We were in a pretty tough situation tonight and we did a good job,” he said. “That’s encouraging. We just need to come back Saturday and play better.” Prior to Saturday’s conference match, Wawasee hosts Fremont Thursday at Maxwelton Golf Club.
NORTHWOOD 176, WAWASEE 180, NORTHRIDGE 226 (Meadow Valley G.C., Par 36) Medalist – Linnzie Richner (NW) 39. NW – L. Richner 39, Summer Stillson 45, Rachel Beebe 42, Baillie Richner 52, Madison Richner 50. Wawasee – Mikala Mawhorter 44, Elizabeth Jackson 44, Kylee Rostochak 45, Aubrey Schmeltz 47, Kamryn Foy 53. Northridge – Emily Thomas 50, Lucy Wisolek 53, Alexa Taylor 63, Kelly Dobson 61, Katy Pluimer 63. Records: NorthWood 8-0 (7-0 NLC), Wawasee 15-1 (6-1 NLC). Wawasee JV – Courtney McDaniel 50.
