State Girls Golf Championships Preview
Monday, October 9th, 2023 -- 8:07 AM
The 52nd Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls State Golf Championships will be held Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 9-10, at the University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis. Competition will begin at 8 a.m. on both days.
The competition features a two-division format with 12 teams and 18 individual qualifiers competing in Division 1, and six teams and nine individual qualifiers participating in Division 2. Competitors play 36 holes, weather permitting, including 18 holes on each day. The lowest scores from the first day will have the later tee times Tuesday.
TEAMS COMPETING: The schools qualifying for the State Championships in Division 1 are Bay Port, Brookfield Central, Brookfield East, Divine Savior Holy Angels, Holmen, Hudson, Kaukauna, Middleton, Oconomowoc, Union Grove, Waunakee and Westosha Central. The team qualifiers in Division 2 are Hayward, Jefferson, Lancaster, Notre Dame, Prescott and Xavier.
DIVISION 1 INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: The 18 individuals who have qualified for the State Championships in Division 1 are junior Karalyn Skinner of Altoona/Regis, junior Jaelyn Feller of Appleton East, senior Lia Maxwell of Arrowhead, freshman McKenna Nelson of Beaver Dam/Wayland Academy, senior Sarah Ramsden of Beloit Memorial, freshman Abby Henriksen of DeForest, freshman Emma Cunningham of Green Bay Preble/East/Southwest/West, freshman Rita Kuepper of Hartford, senior Anneke Barnett of Kettle Moraine, senior Bethany Vidruk of Milton, senior Drew Hoffer and junior Addison Sabel of Oregon, senior Krista Longden of Pewaukee, senior Vivien Ninham of Pulaski, senior Mahlia McCane of River Falls, senior Ana Frederiksen of Stevens Point, junior Daniella Honkamp of Whitefish Bay and senior Payton Morton of Wilmot.
DIVISION 2 INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: The nine individual qualifiers in Division 2 are junior Emma Dobbins of Aquinas, sophomore Belle Kongshaug of Colfax/Elk Mound, senior Jacklyn Thao of Edgewood, sophomore Lexi Marx of Ellsworth, junior Regan Hermanson of Marinette, freshman Morgan Lewis of Seymour, senior Ava Pesha of Somerset, senior Kadyn Peery of The Prairie School and senior Callee Fink of Winneconne.
LAST YEAR: Westosha Central won its second consecutive Division 1 State team title with a four-player, 36-hole score of 626. Middleton finished runner-up at 645. Izzi Stricker of Waunakee was the individual champion, firing a 1-under-par score of 143. Prescott captured the Division 2 crown for the second straight year, finishing with a 36-hole total of 684 and winning a playoff versus The Prairie School after the two teams tied through 36 holes. Ava Salay of Prescott was crowned medalist for the second year in a row with a score of 149. In addition to her two titles, she was runner-up in 2021.
INDIVIDUAL PREVIEW-DIVISION 1: Seven of the top 10 finishers from last season’s championships return for a shot at the gold medal. Senior Izzi Stricker of Waunakee returns attempting to defend the gold medal she won last season. She also tied for 14th in 2021 and was 13th in 2020. Among the contenders to dethrone the champion are senior twins Kylie and Katelyn Walker of Westosha Central. Kylie finished runner-up last season and in a tie for fifth place in 2021 after tying for third in 2020. Katelyn tied for fifth a year ago after a ninth-place finish in 2021 and 22nd-place standing in 2020. Another sister tandem could finish high on the leaderboard. Senior Madison Haugen of Brookfield East could also contend for the title. She placed fourth in 2022 after tying for 14th in 2021 finishing ninth in 2020. Payton Haugen returns to State after finishing seventh as a freshman last season. Senior Vivian Cressman of Middleton has the experience at State to compete for a medal after placing tied for fifth last season, tied for 20th in 2021 and finishing ninth in the 2020-21 alternate season. In addition, senior Lauren Lupinek of Oconomowoc seeks to improve on last year’s ninth-place finish. Sectional champions, in addition to the aforementioned competitors with Top-10 State finishes a year ago, competing to be in the mix for medalist honors are junior Karalyn Skinner of Altoona/Regis, who placed 15th in Division 2 in 2022; freshman Emma Cunningham of Green Bay Preble/East/Southwest/ West; and freshman McKenna Nelson of Beaver Dam/Wayland Academy.
INDIVIDUAL PREVIEW-DIVISION 2: There are numerous golfers with quality State Tournament experience vying for medalist honors. Sophomore Belle Kongshaug of Colfax/Elk Mound led the tournament through the first day of competition and finished runner-up last year as a freshman. She is back for another shot at the title. Sophomore Aliisa Helminen of Xavier is in pursuit of the title this season after placing fourth last year. Senior Payton Schmidt of Jefferson has significant experience at State and should again contend for a medal. She placed fifth last year after a runner-up finish in 2021. Another golfer with significant State Meet experience is Senior Brianna Kirsch of Lancaster. She placed sixth last season after a third-place finish in 2021 and 13th in 2020. Senior Ava Pesha of Somerset came in seventh a year ago after a sixth-place finish in 2021. She is back to build upon her previous experiences. Sectional champions, in addition to Kirsch and Pesha mentioned with the aforementioned competitors with Top-10 State finishes from a year ago, seeking to challenge for medalist designation is junior Ella Gelb of Notre Dame.
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