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SOLON – There were summer days for tournaments. Winter weekend mornings at the simulators. Late spring evenings at the course.
All of that time dedicated to golf has produce success for the Solon girls’ golf team this season.
The Spartans will open the postseason at the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Class 3A regional tournament Wednesday at Stone Creek Golf Club in Williamsburg. Solon is attempting to parlay their hard work and devotion into a return trip to state.
“I think the girls are really confident,” Solon Coach Curtis Hendrickson said. “They put in a ton of time. They’ve hit a lot of their goals. We know one of our big goals is to make state. We can reassess after that.
“They know the Williamsburg course really well. They also know that Lisbon and Williamsburg are very good. We have to bring our A-game tomorrow, for sure.”
Some of the Spartans refined their games by starting up a simulator league. Seniors and returning starters Sydney Dee and Izzy Frees and juniors Jaya Farlinger and Emma Phelps managed to play simulated courses, including their home course of Saddleback Ridge, which hosts the 3A state meet.
“We played different courses,” Farlinger said. “We didn’t always get done but it was super fun to build our game and have some team bonding time.
“We went with whatever looked fun or kind of easy. It wasn’t always the case because some were way harder to play. At the end, this made us better.”
The offseason effort is imperative to in-season achievement.
“All it takes is some time on Saturday morning to go over to the sim and hit some balls,” Farlinger said. “It’s not easy to push yourself in the morning on a Saturday but it is what needs to happen to be as good as we are this season.”
Farlinger noted that the Spartans are naturally competitive and battle to be the best. They had to find a balance between friendship and out-performing one another. Imagine when they face opponents.
“Our girls are uber competitive,” Hendrickson said. “Sometimes to a fault but at the end of the day we’d take that any time.”
The Spartans rank fifth in 3A with a 182.88 combined adjusted team average. They have not finished worse than second in any event, winning nine events including the Wamac Conference Super Meet and East Divisional. Solon set a school 18-hole record, firing 334 to claim the Lady Spartan Invitational at Saddleback.
“We’ve had some really good wins this season but they were earned,” Farlinger said. “We spent so much time at the course this season for all of the conditions. We push ourselves every day as a team and individually. Our coaches are super supportive of us and help us be the best golfers we can be, physically and mentally.”
Solon was fifth at state last season. Dee and Frees are back as the Nos. 1 and 2 golfers. Farlinger and Phelps join them, along with sophomores Macy Fuller and Taylor Jett.
Dee owns a combined adjusted average of 42.15. Frees (46.21), Farlinger (47.04) and Fuller (48.82) are next, while Phelps and Jett come in under 51.
The program’s depth is one of its strengths. Hendrickson said up to 12 Spartans could make the lineup and push the starters.
“It’s not just the top six,” Hendrickson said. “We have 12 girls that push each other and make those top six competitive.
“If we can keep raising our ceiling that’s kind of the goal of our program.”
Solon is familiar with Stone Creek. Hendrickson said the Spartans play it about two or three times each season. They are aware of the shots needed and course management will be key to extend the postseason.
The Spartans have talked about competing for a state title in their own backyard
“We have our eyes set on state this year with it being at home,” Farlinger said. “That has been the collective goal all season but we all know it’s the process that brings the end results. We’re working on different parts of our games. Tomorrow, we want to show up and do what we know how to do.”
All classes will compete in the final regional round, looking to qualify for state May 29-30. The top two teams and top six individuals, plus ties, advance.
IGHSAU REGIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
(Regional with area teams onlyP
CLASS 4A
At Pleasant Hill
(Copper Creek Golf Club)
C.R. Kennedy, C.R. Washington, Iowa City West, Council Bluffs Jefferson, Council Bluffs Lincoln, Dallas Center-Grimes, Johnston, Ottumwa, Southeast Polk, Waukee
At Cedar Falls
(Pheasant Ridge Golf Course)
C.R. Jefferson, C.R. Prairie, Western Dubuque, Cedar Falls, Des Moines East/North, Dubuque Hempstead, Dubuque Senior, Mason City, Waterloo East, Waterloo West
At Long Grove
(Glynns Creek Golf Course)
Iowa City Liberty, Linn-Mar, Bettendorf, Burlington, Clinton, Davenport Central, Davenport North, Davenport West, North Scott, Pleasant Valley
At Marshalltown
(Elmwood Country Club)
Iowa City High, Ankeny, Ankeny Centennial, Des Moines Lincoln, Fort Dodge, Indianola, Marshalltown, Muscatine, Urbandale, Waukee Northwest
CLASS 3A
At Oskaloosa
(Edmundson Golf Course)
C.R. Xavier, South Tama, Burlington Notre Dame, Carlisle, Clarke, Fairfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Knoxville, Mount Pleasant, Oskaloosa, Pella
At Manchester
(Pin Oak Golf Course)
Benton Community, Center Point-Urbana, Decorah, Independence, Maquoketa, Marion, West Delaware, Central DeWitt, Charles City, Davenport Assumption, Dubuque Wahlert, Waverly Shell-Rock
At Williamsburg
(Stone Creek Golf Club)
Clear Creek Amana, Lisbon, Solon, Washington (Iowa), Williamsburg, Ballard, Bondurant-Farrar, Dike-New Hartford/Aplington-Parkersburg, Grinnell, Hampton-Dumont-CAL, North Polk, Saydel
CLASS 2A
At West Liberty Country Club
Teams – Jesup, Mid-Prairie, Tipton, West Branch, Sumner-Fredericksburg
Individuals – Kamryn Gilmore, soph., West Liberty; Olivia Miller, jr., Anamosa
At Forest City
(Rice Lake Golf Course)
Teams – MFL MarMac, Central Lyon, Crestwood, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, New Hampton
Individuals – Joie Christensen, sr., Estherville-Lincoln Central; Hanna Paulson, jr., Estherville-Lincoln Central; Haley Folkens, jr., West Lyon
At Eldora
(Pine Lake Country Club)
Teams – Norh Fayette Valley, Oelwein, Denver, East Sac County, Grundy Center
Individuals – Amelia Schmitz, sr., Union Community; Kennedy Thacker, sr., Eagle Grove; Emma Topp, sr., South Hardin
CLASS 1A
At Wyoming
(Little Bear Country Club)
Teams – South Winneshiek, Columbus Community, Durant, Easton Valley, Nashua-Plainfield, New London, Wapello
Individuals – Annika Bodensteiner, jr., Turkey Valley; Giulia Carbone-Kruger, soph., Starmont; Chloe Everett, jr., Edgewood-Colesburg; Elizabeth Griffin, soph., Holy Trinity; Natalie Schroeder, jr., Calamus-Wheatland
At New Sharon
(Prairie Knolls Golf Course)
Teams – BGM, Central City, East Buchanan, Highland, North Tama, Martensdale-St. Marys, North Mahaska
Individuals – Claire Withrow, jr., Hillcrest Academy; Lily Brenner, jr., Colfax-Mingo; Sophia Jirak, jr., Van Buren; Karlee Koehler, sr., Baxter
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