NORMAL – Nazareth was in a position to win a trophy after the first round of the IHSA Class 2A boys golf championship at Illinois State’s Weibring Golf Course.
Then golf happened. The Roadrunners’ team total jumped 17 strokes higher in Saturday’s near-windless second round, and that was enough for them to tumble from second to seventh place in the team competition, their total of 71-over 639 19 strokes behind third-place Burlington Central.
“We just didn’t play quite as well as Friday,” Nazareth coach Dave Reed said. “But overall we’re pleased with the weekend. You have to put it together to win and be top two or three. we had it at the highest level for one round and weren’t quite as strong the second day.”
Two Roadrunners, including junior Brendan Belden, improved on their Friday scores. Belden dropped from 85 to 11-over 82, his total of 25-over 167 the final Nazareth score to count.
Fellow juniors Gray Musker (13-over 76-79–155) and Sam Wilda (16-over 77-81–158) were near their first-round scores. Brian Morris shot 19-over (78-89) 167 to tie for 50th individually and become the third score to count, along with Musker, Wilda and Belden.
Given the work of the juniors, Reed is high on the future.
“Belden came on fairly strong at the end of the year,” Reed said. “He was our sixth man at sectional and shot 77, and this was his first time at the state tournament. We’re very excited. There’s been a lot of growth in our program in recent years. And we had a strong frosh-soph team.”
It was Nazareth’s first appearance in the state final since 2018, when the Roadrunners finished fourth.
Ottawa won the team title, its first IHSA championship in any sport since the school opened in 1917.
In 3A boys, Lyons’ Anderson Palm tied for 15th at 5-over 149 on rounds of 74-75 at the Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington. Sandburg’s Quinn McElligott tied for 59th at 18-over 162 (76-86).
Joey Charleston of Chicago Christian tied for 76th in 1A boys, scoring 30-over 87-87–174 at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington, where the team title was won by St. Anthony.
Nazareth took fifth place in 1A girls. The Roadrunners’ total of 19-over 695 was 19 strokes behind the last trophy spot. Senior Anna Bukovac’s total of 16-over 160, highlighted by a closing 6-over 78, led the Roadrunners.
Also scoring for Nazareth: Maryssa Zielinski (tie for 23rd, 79-88–167), Gabriella Giangrande (tie for 52nd, 90-90–180) and Caitlin Sullivan (tie for 75th, 96-97–193).
Downstate Mount Carmel ran away with the team title, with a total of 28-over 604 at Red Tail Run in Decatur.
In 2A girls, Glenbrook North junior Martha Kuwahara scored a two-stroke victory over teammate Alexis Myers to finish first at Hickory Point Golf Course in Forsyth. The Spartans won the team title by 23 strokes.
Sandburg’s Katie Wehlus finished tied for 29th in 2A at 14-over 158 with matching 79s. Lyons’ Isabella Evans (89) and Reavis’ Emily Tralewski (110) missed the 18-hole cut.
Sectional sensations
Sandburg and Marist’s girls tennis teams enjoyed sectional success on Oct. 18-19 winning team and individual titles.
Sandburg won its own Class 2A tourney with 30 points as Estela Loureiro took first in singles while Iris Deli and Vanessa Annel were the doubles champs. It’s the 18th district or sectional championship for the Eagles, who finished third in the state last year.
Marist won the Stagg Sectional with 30 points as sophomore Helena Klooster won her second straight sectional singles title and the doubles team of Michelle Figueroa-Elsie Koch earned a championship.
It’s the first sectional title for the RedHawks.
The state meet is this weekend at various sites in the north and northwest suburbs.
Stopped in sectionals
The inaugural IHSA flag football season is history and Stagg and St. Laurence had their seasons end in the sectional semifinals at Perspectives-Leadership on Oct. 15.
Stagg lost 16-14 to Ag. Science and Perspectives-Leadership beat St. Laurence 26-6.
Stagg coach Saja Alnajjar won the Chicago Bears Flag Football Coach of the Week after her team beat Simeon in regional championship play.
- Contributing: Jeff Vorva