HANCOCK COUNTY — The 2021 Indiana high school girls golf season has arrived.
With the first official practice conducted this past Friday, in-season competitions are set to begin across the state today.
The first team to return to the links is Hancock County and sectional runner-up Mt. Vernon, which will be anchored by a pair of senior leaders.
Greenfield-Central, which snapped a 26-year IHSAA state finals team-appearance drought last fall, welcomes back a pair of varsity holdovers from its 2020 repeat sectional championship lineup to keep the momentum going.
New Palestine gained valuable experience in 2020 and looks to climb the county ranks with a multitude of depth and talent.
Eastern Hancock will rely on a pair of returning players with hefty varsity time logged last year to lead their revamped group.
With the season upon us, here’s a look ahead to a new year.
Greenfield-Central
The Greenfield-Central girls golf team opens its season Thursday on the road at host Whiteland for a three-way match with Columbus East.
However, the Cougars’ second of two matches scheduled for this week — at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel for the State Preview on Saturday — will bring them full circle from a year ago.
The first team in program history to reach the IHSAA state finals since 1994, the Cougars enjoyed a memorable run in 2020.
Greenfield-Central claimed a trifecta of team titles last season, winning the Hancock County Tournament for a second consecutive year, it’s first Hoosier Heritage Conference meet since 2008 and a repeat championship at sectional. The Cougars’ back-to-back run was the team’s first repeat since they won four straight from 1988-91.
At state, the group placed 13th overall with a two-round team score of 748 at Prairie View with graduated senior Caroline Gibson tying for 22nd overall individually.
The Cougars’ sectional championship was cemented with a school-record score of 340. Their third-place finish at the Lapel Regional, which propelled them to the state finals, was solidified with a 345.
During the HHC tournament, the Cougars shot a 344 to set a new school record, which they bested later in the postseason.
While the Cougars lost three of their top golfers due to graduation, including Gibson, Tandess O’Neal and Haley Hoagland, they garnered an honorable mention selection in the 2021 IHSGCA Preseason Girls Golf Poll.
Part of the reason is past success, but another is the return of two of the lineups’ top-five competitors in Sydnie Wherry and Katie Curry.
The duo served as the team’s No. 4 and 5 golfers, respectively, last season, and will now lead the new-look group.
Among those players seeking to move up and fill in, include seniors Brynn Elliott and Abby Mulligan. Sophomore Ella Neill also returns.
Sophomore Reagan Breese will rotate at the varsity level, while Tanessa O’Neal, the younger sister of Tandess, and freshman Della Hodge will also be in the mix.
“Overall, looking forward to another year and trying to defend our sectional title,” Greenfield-Central head coach Russ Wiley said. “Obviously, we lost a bunch from last year’s team, but I feel pretty optimistic, especially haing seniors that have played three years stepping in, but we’ll see. The girls worked hard this off-season on their own and are looking forward to playing.”
The Cougars were 16-1 in nine-hole competitions in 2019 and were 17-3 in 2020.
“From what I can see, everyone seems a little better from where the season ended and hopefully that continues to be the case throughout the season,” Wiley said.
New Palestine
The New Palestine girls golf team’s season is set to begin on their home course Monday, Aug. 9 against visiting Greenwood Community.
While they lost a trio of talented seniors from their 2020 lineup, including top-golfers Megan Diller and Abby Belgin, the Dragons return to the links experienced and with plenty of depth to contend this fall.
Atop the list of 2021 returnees is junior standout Zoe Nelson, who competed as the team’s No. 2 golfer last season. Nelson shot a team-best 94 as a sophomore during the 2020 Hoosier Heritage Conference tournament to help the team secure fifth overall.
At sectional, Nelson carded a team-leading 98 at Hawk’s Tail of Greenfield, which proved key as the Dragons finished third with a 413 to advance into the Lapel Regional at Edgewood.
The Dragons were 17th at regional with Nelson posting the third-best score for the team with a 104.
This year, Nelson will be joined by fellow returnees junior Ava Hasecuster and sophomores Lauren Appleby, Hanna Beller and Kate Stanfield. Beller competed as the Dragons’ fifth golfer during the postseason, shooting a 111 at sectional and a 113 at regional.
In addition to the team’s five veterans, the Dragons are also welcoming in freshmen newcomers Rachel Hamilton, Janie Hamilton, Lily Kirchner and Oliva Smith.
New Palestine ended the 2020 regular season with a 5-8 dual meet record.
“Nelson, Beller and Stanfield have quite a bit of match experience from last year. We don’t have any seniors this year, but I think Zoe and Ava will provide great leadership for their younger teammates,” New Palestine head coach Sarah O’Brien said. “This group has lots of potential, so I’m very excited about this group. They are a great group of young women and have lots of enthusiasm.”
Eastern Hancock
The Eastern Hancock girls golf team opens its season Thursday at Royal Hylands when they host Wapahani.
The Royals finished the 2020 season with a record of 6-9 in head coach Dustin Eck’s first season at the helm.
For year two, Eck is looking to rely on a pair of seniors for leadership and a trio of underclassmen to push the Royals to their second winning season in three years. The Royals went 14-8 in 2019.
“We are a young team with good senior leadership,” Eck said. “The underclassmen have put in some hard work this summer and improved their games through some camps and lessons. We hope to build off of last year and continue to have fun and improve.”
Among the key returnees are seniors Inez Friddle and Shelby Jackson, who earned the program’s Royal Pride award for 2020.
At sectional last year, Friddle proved the team’s No. 2 golfer, shooting a 117, while Jackson was the Royals’ second-best scorer during the county tournament with a nine-hole tally of 54 behind graduated senior Haleigh Cavaletto.
The Royals’ best-winning score from 2020 came against Randolph Southern on the road with a 211. The team shot 229 or better in each of its six wins.
Emily Grant, a sophomore, returns after competing as the team’s fifth golfer last fall. Freshman Abby Bolding and Hannah Dolence, a junior newcomer, complete the lineup for 2021.
Mt. Vernon
The Mt. Vernon girls golf team opens the 2021 season first among the county programs with a road match at Hoosier Heritage Conference foe Pendleton Heights today at 4:30 p.m.
They travel to HHC rival Shelbyville on Wednesday before hosting Center Grove on Saturday.
The Marauders continue to make strides, and last year was no exception.
In 2018, Alaina Nugent was the lone Mt. Vernon competitor to qualify for regional. The next year, she was joined by classmate Meredith Johnson.
In 2020, the team had a breakthrough and made a collective regional appearance, advancing with a second-place finish at sectional (366) behind Greenfield-Central’s 340.
Nugent, the team’s No. 1 golfer, placed fourth overall at sectional with a score of 84, while Johnson fired a 94. A stout duo in the lineup, the tandem hardly worked alone.
Mackenzie Miner, the daughter of head coach Mike Miner, carded a 96 at sectional in 2020 as a junior. Haidyne Cauldwell, a sophomore last fall, anchored the team’s lineup in the fifth spot.
The only loss the team suffered due to graduation this off-season was senior Emily Rollo, who posted the Marauders’ second-best sectional score at 92.
At the regional in 2020, Mt. Vernon concluded its season ninth in the team standings with a 375, led by Nugent’s 81 and Johnson’s 91.
The twosome return as seniors in 2021 and are determined to take the next step.
The pair both earned 2020 All-County honors as the Marauders shot a 189 for second at the tournament. Greenfield-Central won the event and team title with a 175.
Nugent was one stroke shy of tying Greenfield-Central’s Caroline Gibson (37) for county medalist honors, and Johnson was fourth best at 44.
Mt. Vernon finished fourth during the HHC meet with a 386, while Yorktown (374) and Delta (375) came in behind champion Greenfield-Central (344).
Nugent was once again second overall individually with an 80 at the HHC, finishing behind Gibson at 76.
A breakout season could become a reality for Nugent this season after nearly winning county medalist honors as a freshman, placing third as a sophomore and taking fifth at the HHC meet in 2019.
Indiana HS Golf Coaches Association
2021 Preseason Girls Golf Poll
Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021
Rank, Team;Points;1st Place Votes
1. Evansville North;120;6
2. Westfield;110;-
3. Carmel;106;-
4. Homestead;103;-
5. Center Grove;88;-
6. Columbus North;83;-
6. Hamilton Southeastern;83;-
8. Noblesville;81;-
9. Culver Academy;80;-
10. Castle;62;-
11. Franklin Community;61;-
12. Penn;55;-
13. Zionsville;52;-
14. NorthWood;43;-
15. Western;36;-
16. Brownsburg;32;-
17. Floyd Central;26;-
18. Crown Point;22;-
18. Floyd Central;22;-
18. Batesville;22;-
Honorable Mentions: Lapel, Concord, Greenfield-Central, Lebanon, Fort Wayne Carroll
