PENDLETON — The 2024 high school fall sports season kicked off Monday with Mt. Vernon’s girls golf team participating in a new event, the Pendleton Preview, hosted by Pendleton Heights High School at Fall Creek Golf Club.
Guerin Catholic won the tournament with a team score of 336, Pendleton Heights Green was second (374) and Lapel was third (383). The Marauders were sixth with a score of 412.
“I think the tournament went really well. I would’ve liked to have nine teams from around here, but some started school already so that’s what kept it from being all local teams,” Pendleton Heights head coach Hilary Slick said. “It was a good day, the cloud cover helped, and the course was in great shape.”
For Mt. Vernon, the tournament was not only the start of the season but the start of a busy week.
The Marauders play at the Hamilton Southeastern Invitational tomorrow morning and compete in the Tipton Invite on Wednesday.
“Since they moved school back a week last year, it’s been really nice to get into these things that I call preseason tournaments. You’ve got to play more tournament golf to be ready for conference and sectional and stuff like that,” Mt. Vernon coach Mike Miner said. “If you aren’t used to 18-hole tournament golf, you’re going to get eaten alive in those events. We push the girls to play summer tournaments, and we want to get in as many events like this as we can.”
With three consecutive 18-hole tournaments to start the year, Miner is using the opportunity to see different girls compete each day.
“I’m taking advantage of having three 18-hole matches,” Miner said. “We’re trying to work all of the girls in this week.”
At Monday’s Pendleton Preview, just one of the returning varsity players from last year’s regional lineup teed up the ball — Aerin Hubbell.
Hubbell, a senior, was right around her average score from last season with a team-best 93. She shot a 5-over-par 41 on the front nine before shooting a 52 on the back.
The other four members of the Marauders lineup were players getting acclimated to the varsity tournament atmosphere.
Liz Genrich was second to Hubbell with a 99, both Zoe Gaw and Elianna Young shot 110 and Reesa Ibarra shot a 131.
The other four mainstays along with Hubbell in last year’s varsity lineup — Hancock County Player of the Year Izzy VanHeel, Gigi Avers, Natalie Miner and Kylie Hyde — will begin their seasons tomorrow.
“We’ll see where we stand after tomorrow because we’ll have our other varsity girls play,” coach Miner said. “After this week, we should have a pretty set varsity and JV lineup.”
Guerin Catholic had the top three medalists with Ali Scott winning with a 78, Sydney Delagrange placing second with a 79 and Sarah Rigg taking third with an 82. The final two medals went to Pendleton Heights freshman Bella Shetterley (84) and Lapel sophomore Annabell Marshall (85).
Rounding out the team scores were Brebeuf Jesuit (401), Hamilton Heights (402), Pendleton Heights White (423) and Shelbvyille (480).
