Pirates take 11th at state team golf

By Greg Bates
SPORTS EDITOR
The youthful Bay Port girls’ golf team got to experience the state meet.

Now, the five players are primed to make a real push for a higher place next season.

The Pirates finished 11th out of 12 teams in the WIAA Division 1 state meet at University Ridge Golf Course in Verona on Oct. 10 and 11.

Bay Port coach Jeff Johnsen was proud of his girls’ accomplishments this season.

“We didn’t shoot today or yesterday what we were thinking or what we were looking for, but this year’s goal — like it is every year — was to get there,” Johnsen said. “But this year more so was to get there, get the experience and go through all that. All five return next year, so expectations are high again. Then when we get there, everyone’s been through it. There’s no surprises, they don’t have to be as nervous,
they know the course a little bit more.”

On the first day of competition, Bay Port fired a team score of 364. The second day, the Pirates down their score to 355 for a +143 total for the tournament. Westosha Central won the D-1 state title by shooting +50.

“Probably just more relaxed, knowing that, let’s just go play,” said Johnsen about his team’s second-round score. “When we talked (after the first round), it was, ‘Everybody just shoot better than you did yesterday. Don’t put like a team number on it, don’t put we’ve got to be this or that. If you want some individual numbers you want to hit, go for it. But let’s just try to be better on the second day and not
worry about too much and just play the course and enjoy it.’”

Shooting in the 350s and 360s wasn’t want the Bay Port players wanted at state.

“I think they were all — I hate to use the word disappointed, they just did hit the numbers they had wanted,” Johnsen said. “The thing that got a lot of them was the greens. It just kind of took them too long to figure out how to read the greens a little bit.”

Junior Adalyn Johnston shot an eight-over par 80 on her second round — the same round she shot the day before. Johnston, who tied for 18th overall individually, carded three birds on the back nine.

“She had the one triple bogey today that jumped up and got her, but otherwise a really good, consistent round,” coach Johnsen said. “She was really happy with that.”

Ava Beranek (85) and fellow junior Chloe Strunk (94) finished second and third for the Pirates. Freshman Payton Dudra came in with a 96 and sophomore Kristina Kruse shot a 100 on her final round.

Johnsen liked the way Dudra played confidently in her round.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the way she went (the first day). Her first nine was higher than she would have wanted, but her next nine she bounced back with a really good score,” Johnsen said.

Tritons have two compete individually
Notre Dame Academy had two girls compete individually at state.

Grace Durkin carded the second lowest score for a player not competing on a team. The senior hit 11-over par to finish 10th overall.

“After missing all of last year due to back surgery, it was great to watch Grace finish her career at the state tournament,” Notre Dame coach Brian Bobinski said. “It was so disappointing for our program to come so close, missing team state by one shot, but Grace made our program proud with her
performance on Madison.”

She had a 79 the first day and a four-over 76 the final day. Durkin had three birdies on the second day and finished the tournament by logging 20 pars.

Also competing individually for the Tritons was Sophia Baek. She fired a +36 for the tournament to come in tied for 50th.