GREENFIELD — Balanced scoring from top to bottom — four of five players made up the five-player all-county team — New Palestine’s girls golf team picked up a third straight Hancock County Girls Golf Tournament title and did it convincingly at Hawk’s Tail of Greenfield Golf Course Monday.
Senior Lily Kirchner shot a two-over-par 38 to claim the individual title and her first all-county ribbon in leading New Palestine to a score of 160, the Dragons best nine-hole score of the season.
It also tied Kirchner’s best-ever nine-hole score, though she was disappointed in three-putting her final hole and bogeying to finish a stroke shy of her career best.
“My very last hole (No. 3) I was shaking,” Kirchner said. “I knew if I got a par it would be my new best score and was a good chance I’d get first.
“I thought there was a good chance (I could still win). I was a little concerned because I knew there are people on my team that can shoot that or better.”
Her teammates were close.
Sophomore Lauren Deering was runner-up with a 39 and junior Katie Kelley was third with a 40.
And Dragon senior Janie Hamilton tied Mt. Vernon’s Kylie Hyde for fourth spot and the final all-county positions with 43s.
“A lot of us are usually around the same score,” Kirchner said. “We practice together and we help each other get better.
“It’s ‘any given Sunday’ you never know who is going to shoot the best score.”
“They had their sites set on this.” New Palestine head coach Sarah O’Brien said on her team’s third straight county championship. “We knew Mt. Vernon is very competitive. It was unfortunate (Izzy VanHeel) wasn’t able to play, but still, this was a great score.”
The Marauders were second with a 186. Greenfield-Central shot a 228 and Eastern Hancock finished with a 237.
Mt. Vernon was short-handed but still may not have been able to dethrone the talented and deep New Palestine team.
VanHeel, a senior and last year’s county champion, was out sick and unable to compete.
She shot a 40 to win last year’s event, also held at Hawk’s Tail, beating Kelley by one stroke.
Kelley had an all-county round for the third straight year. It was the second straight year for Deering.
But it was the first time for both of the Dragon seniors.
“I am so thrilled for Lily,” O’Brien said. “She’s a senior and works so hard. I’m so thrilled to see it pay off for her. That was the best round for Lily and my other senior, Janie, that was her best round here. What a great time to do it.”
“It was one of my goals to make all-county, but I wasn’t expecting to win,” Kirchner added.
A year ago, the Dragons shot 170 to win the tournament, which, at the time, was their low round of the season.
Mt. Vernon’s Gigi Avers was sixth overall with a 44 and teammate Natalie Miner followed with a 48.
Kynsey Hasty shot a 55 and had Greenfield-Central’s lowest round. Savannah Hardy had the lowest round for Eastern Hancock with a 57.
