Girls Golf 2010
Nicole Sorensen returned from the State Golf meet held at Quail Run Golf Course in Columbus, Ne. This was her second trip to state after having also qualified in 2009. The meet was held Monday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 12. Sara MacGregor and Sara Kromarek accompanied Sorensen to the meet where they all played a practice round on Sunday. The two girls gave her support along with her parents, sister, and grandparents.
Sorensen started the front-nine on Monday with a par and continued good play to finish with a 46. Her back-nine was also played well until the 13th hole, which is a very difficult hole for girls as it contains a big pond around the green. She did end up with a 53 to finish at 99 for the day, which put her in the upper third of the 98 girls playing.
Sorensen started the front-nine on Tuesday very poorly as she lost some confidence with her putting on the first hole. She corrected after the first 3 holes and was able to shoot a 52 on the front. The back-nine started off better and until the 13th hole derailed her, she played well to finish with 49 and a 101 for the day. Her total was an even 200 for the tournament, which put her tied for 37th among the 98 players.
It was a quiet ride home from district golf with a disappointing finish to a great season by the golf team this year. The Pirates finished 6th as a team when they felt that they could be in the top three teams and qualify for state.
Nicole Sorensen did shoot 102 and tied for 9th place to qualify her as an individual. State will be October 11th and October 12th in Columbus at the Quail Run Golf Course. Sorensen had a 48 on the front but the 10th hole on the back kept her from a good round on the back. Sara Kromarek finished off her brief career of one season of golf with a 57 on the back-nine after shooting 63 on the front to place 23rd in the field of 62 girls.
For a variety of reasons, Briana Hamm and Sarah MacGregor did not have their usual rounds. MacGregor shot a 58 on the front but a lost ball on 10 and a bad hole on 14 ended her chance of shooting lower on the back. Hamm could never get into a good rhythm and although she had some good holes, she shot her the worse score (130) of the 2010 season. Hamm will be back next season to lead the team along with Rachel Sorensen. Sorensen also had a 130. Sorensen had a 71 on the front but came back with a 59 on the back to cap off a good season for her in her full time role on the varsity.
Playing on a course that had been heavily hit by hail, a course that is not for the inexperienced golfer because of the water hazards, and add in homecoming week did not bode well for the girls’ golf team as they lost to West Holt 220-212 on September 29. The girls finished with a 4-4 dual record.
The three girls that have been playing steady golf and leading the team in scoring, still managed to score well even though the last three holes with water hazards were not kind to them. Nicole Sorensen-51, Briana Hamm-52, and Sarah MacGregor-54 led their competitors until then. Still it was a good experience for the team to play on large greens and putt well.
Rachel Sorensen played well after she reached the green but she had too much water problems as well as some OB strokes. Sorensen with 69 completed the team scoring. Sara Kromarek was playing well until a lost ball was not found in time, led to a 14 instead of a possible 7 or 8. Kromarek then had two other holes that led to a 73 as half of her strokes came on three holes.
The water and par 5’s were also not kind to the reserves as Erika Neuman was the only one to get close to her average. Riane Cash was happy with her round because she had a par in the round although her score was high. Heidi Orona and Kaytlyn both had an atypical round, which was too bad, as both had been scoring well.
The Plainview girls’ golf team traveled to O’Neill where the varsity had a triangular against O’Neill and Elkhorn Valley. O’Neill defeated the Pirates by two strokes 228-230. Elkhorn Valley had 249.
Nicole Sorensen continued her streak of rounds with nothing worse than a double-bogie and led all golfers with a 50. Sarah MacGregor had two holes that were into the wind and she was unable to navigate them very well. MacGregor still finished with a 54 as she putted well. Sara Kromarek tied her low round of the year with 59. The large greens bothered her at first but she seemed to master them later. Rachel Sorensen finished the team scoring with 67. Sorensen is still working on her swing change and it lets her down occasionally.
The reserves participated in a 9-hole reserve tournament with six schools involved. Since none of the schools had full squads, no team score was kept. The course was also modified in length. Heidi Orona shot 58 by avoiding any double-digit holes to place her 5th. Kaytlyn Johnston lost 3 balls when teeing off to keep her from shooting a very good round. Johnston still managed a 63 that placed her 7th. Erica Neuman was not far behind with her 65 but it was just out of a medal. Riane Cash also participated and finished with 73 when two double-digit holes were her downfall.
Plainview hosted the girls’ NENAC conference golf meet on Saturday, September 25th. Even though Plainview had 4 girls medal, they were unable to overtake Crofton for the team title and lost 421-432 and end up the runner-up team. Molly Zavadil was a three-time NENAC medallist with an 81.
Nicole Sorensen continued to lead the Pirates when she shot 94 and received the bronze medal.. Sorensen recorded nothing more than a double-bogie while having 4 pars for the day. Briana Hamm received the 5th place medal with her 101. Hamm continues to impress people with her power off the tee and in the fairway. When Briana believes that she can make the putt instead of always being told how poor she putts, she will have some very good rounds. Sarah MacGregor shot two rounds of 58 to place 8th. MacGregor had a Heckle-Hyde round for the day. MacGregor also needs to believe that she can make the putts. If you think you are going to miss, it is almost a guarantee that you will. If you think that you can make them, the putts are much easier. The last medallist was Rachel Sorensen with a 121. This is Sorensen’s first medal but it won’t be her last. A small adjustment was made in her swing after Thursday and she is feeling more comfortable with it and will continue to improve. Sara Kromarek was our last varsity golfer and had her score of 135 not used. Kromarek recorded her first birdie of her career. Kromarek had a rough 3 starting holes that kept her from having a good first round to go along with her back nine. Kromarek always has the goal of improving on the back nine.
Plainview had 4 reserves that 1st and 2nd among the reserve golfers. Kaytlyn Johnston was low for the reserves with 133 and followed by Heidi Orona with 134. Johnston recorded her low round of the year with a 63 while Orona had her low round of the year with 64. Erica Neuman with 152 and Riane Cash with 157 continue to improve and hope to make their impact next fall with much lower scores.
The Plainview girls’ golf team continued their busy week at the Wayne Invite on Thursday, September 23rd. Playing in rainy and windy conditions the girls were able to capture 6th place of the 17 teams participating. Plainview shot 446 that was not a bad score considering the playing conditions. Boone Central easily outdistanced the field with a 365.
Nicole Sorensen placed 8th with 95 as she continues to play with the leaders except for the Boone Central players who placed 3 in the top five. Briana Hamm also medalled when she took the 20th place medal with 109. Hamm has been playing well and with more confidence she is ready to step up to the next level of competition. Sarah MacGregor shot 114 that placed her in the top 25 but she did not receive a medal.
Rachel Sorensen finished the team scoring with 128. Sorensen never seemed to gain any rhythm in her round and struggled on several holes. Sara Kromarek’s score of 138 was not figured in the team scoring. Kromarek was playing for the first time on an 18-hole course. Kromarek also had a par on one of the tougher holes.
Three of the teams to place ahead of Plainview are not in their district but several teams are right behind the Pirates. Plainview has a good opportunity to finish in the top three at district and go to state.
The Plainview golf girls started a busy week with a triangular with Crofton and Hartington CC at the Hartington golf course on September 20th. With the girls having four scores under 60, they were able to push their record to 4-1 win the victory. Plainview had 215 while Crofton had 234 and Hartington CC had 239.
Nicole Sorensen shot 50 to lead the team. Sorensen was unable to get off the tee but made up for it by playing well in the fairway and around the green. Sarah MacGregor was right behind with 51. MacGregor had problems with the 8th green but scored very well on the other 8 holes. Briana Hamm continued the scoring with 55. Hamm had two holes in the middle of her round that kept her from scoring better but she rebounded to finish the round strong. Rachel Sorensen finished the team scoring with a 59. Other than a tough hole #8, she would have been even better. Sara Kromarek had her score of 69 not used. The two par 5s were her down fall along with an annoying opponent.
Heidi Orona led the reserves to a 299 team score with a 70 with Katylyn Johnston and Erika Neuman right behind with 72 each. Johnston was happy not to have an 18 on a hole while Neuman scored the first birdie of her career. Riane Cash struggled to an 85 but she had a more fun playing than the last two meets.
The Pirates will travel to Wayne on Thursday for their Invite and then finish the week by hosting NENAC conference on Saturday.
Crofton girls defended their title of the Plainview Invite with a 4-stroke victory over host Plainview on Saturday, September 18th. Molly Zavadil of Crofton also defended her title, as she was again the medallist with an 82 on a cold and rainy day. Gina Dendinger of Crofton was the silver medallist with 93. Nicole Sorensen led Plainview with 97 that was good for 4th place. The team placed 2nd as a team only 4 strokes behind Crofton 426-430.
The Pirates shot a 216 on the front nine and then came back with a 214 for their low score of the season. Sorensen again started slowly but was able to recover to shoot 51 on the front. Sorensen then shot 46 on the back. Briana Hamm placed 8th with 51-53 as she continues to play steady golf. Hamm impresses a lot of people with her power off the tee and for most of the holes she is playing well around the green. Sarah MacGregor placed 10th with 54-52. MacGregor lets a couple of holes get away from her each round but she always seems to recover.
Rachel Sorensen and Sara Kromarek tied with 123. Sorensen had a 62-61 with a couple of holes each round keeping her from a better score. Kromarek shot 60-63 and recorded her first par of her career. Both girls are improving and if one of them can shoot lower the team will contend for the NENAC title next Saturday, which is hosted by Plainview.
The reserve team paced by Erika Neuman with 140 and Kaytlyn Johnston-141 placed 9th with 605. Neuman shot her low round of the year at 66. Johnston stayed away from real high scores as she had only 4 10s. Heidi Orona-158 and Riane Cash-166 completed the team scoring. Both of these girls have those two real bad scores on each round that they have to avoid to improve. For all four of these girls, it is their first time playing 18 holes with out a restriction on their score.
Coach Knaak stated “This is the first trophy won by the girls golf team in 6 years. Hopefully, it will make the girls hungrier and they will want to work harder.”
The Plainview girls golf team traveled to Hartington for a dual on Tuesday, September 14th. This was an important dual because this is the site of districts this year and also to keep their unbeaten record intact. The girls were unable to win and Hartington won 223-228. Nicole Sorensen with 49 and Briana Hamm with 53 played well but Sarah MacGregor and Rachel Sorensen had some difficulties on several holes to shoot 60 and 66 respectively. Kaytlyn Johnston getting her first taste of varsity action was unable to calm her nerves and did not score very well.
Sara Kromarek had her first score in the fifties with a 59 to lead the reserves. Kromarek continues to show rapid improvement to make a solid 5th player. Heidi Orona with 76, Erika Neuman with 77 and Riane Cash with 87 completed the reserve scoring of 298.
Coach Knaak stated “This is a team that the girls will beat under different circumstances. This is a fun group of girls to work with and they continue to have the desire to improve.”
On Saturday, September 11th the Plainview girls golf team traveled to Pierce for the Pierce Invite. The girls finished 5th in a field of 15. After the first round, the team was in fourth place with a team score of 213 that is their lowest 9-hole score of the season. Unable to maintain that pace they had a 222 for the last round to finish at 435. Boone Central won with 402 while Norfolk Catholic was runner-up with 409.
Nicole Sorensen with a birdie on the hardest hole (#9) shot a 45 on the front and a 47 on the back to finish at 92 and earn the 9th place medal. Sarah MacGregor had two poor holes on her front nine but still carded a 52 for her low round of the year. MacGregor followed with a 57 to shoot 109 and tie for 18th place but received the 20th place medal. Briana Hamm and Rachel Sorensen both shot 117 to end the team scoring. Hamm had two penalty strokes each round along with some bad advice to mar her rounds of 59-58. Sorensen had trouble on the par 5s to keep her from scoring lower. Sara Kromarek, continuing to gain experience, shot 71-68 and was able to stay away from a double-digit hole.
Coach Knaak commented “Most of these teams are in our district and we need to continue to improve in order to make it to state as a team.”
The Plainview girls golf team improved to 2-0 as they defeated Wakefield 218-228. Nicole Sorensen reached the forties for the first time this year with a 48 to lead the team. Although only getting two pars, Sorensen played good course management. Briana Hamm-53 and Sarah MacGregor-55 also shot well. Both girls need to get off to a better start so they are not trying to make up strokes. Hamm recorded two pars and two bogies in her round. Rachel Sorensen, while not attaining her score of last Friday, had a 62 to finish the team scoring. Sorensen let two holes ruin a good round. Heidi Orona, playing on varsity for the first time, struggled on most of the holes to finish with 72.
The reserves improved their team score from last Friday and finished with 277. Since Wakefield did not have any reserves, the girls are competing to improve both their individual score and the team score. Three of the girls shot in the sixties for the first time. Sara Kromarek had 63 as she avoided getting a big score on any hole. As Kromarek hits off the tee better, her score will continue to fall. Riane Cash shot 68 as she played fairly consistent except for #1. Kaytlyn Johnston with 69 also avoided any double-digit holes. Johnston still has trouble around the green. Erika Neuman finished the team scoring with a 77. Neuman hits a lot of good shots but let some scores of 10 keep her from scoring better.
September 3rd
The Plainview girl’s golf team traveled to Norfolk for a dual with Norfolk Catholic at Eldorado golf course. All of the girls improved from last week and were able to gain a victory over Norfolk Catholic 220-222. This is the first win over Norfolk Catholic since 2003.
Nicole Sorensen led the team with a 51. Sorensen continues to improve her short game that will lead her to even lower scores. Briana Hamm had a 56 after she recovered from a poor start on her first two holes. She nearly eagled a hole after her second shot barely missed the flag. Hamm’s effort last summer is paying off as she continues to lower her scores. Rachel Sorensen also had a 56. Sorensen is playing in the 4th spot and needs this type of score for the team. Sarah MacGregor also started off poorly but was able to get her game going to finish with 57. Sara Kromarek’s 75 was not used. Kromarek in her first year is playing well but she has not learned how to avoid the high scores on two or three holes.
Although Norfolk Catholic did not have a reserve team, Plainview reserves competed and shot a 288. Heidi Orona led the team with 67. This was Orona’s first action on a different course and she handled it well. Riane Cash, also playing on a different course for the first time, shot 71. Close behind was Kaytlyn Johnston-74 and Erika Neuman. These four girls, along with Kromarek, are experiencing the sport of golf for the first time and have improved greatly since the season started.