Edgewood girls golf has been around since 1992. They did something for the first time ever Monday at the Bloomington sectional.
The Edgewood girls golf team was OK with a little rain on its parade.
Every year since the program came to life in 1992, the Mustangs' season as a team has hit a roadblock a sectionals, having to battle bigger schools from Bloomington, Columbus, Terre Haute or Greenwood to make it out.
Edgewood found a way to keep on marching this year, turning well-earned belief into reality with a third-place finish in the Bloomington North Sectional on a soggy Monday, Sept. 22 at Cascades GC. Martinsville won a 32nd sectional title with a 346 to earn another firetruck escort when they got back home. And Bloomington North ended its team regional drought at a mere three years with a 381.
Edgewood's 387 topped rival Bloomington South (394) for the last spot, but the Panthers will send two onward, senior Kirin Bowden and sophomore Addison Howell. Owen Valley was sixth at 341.
Edgewood senior Boston Chambers made it out as an individual last year, but will now have some much-welcomed company this time when they head to The Legends in Franklin on Saturday, Sept. 27.
"It's a plan we had to push everyone to their fullest extent of what they really could do this year," Chambers said. "To show that we are together as a team, that it's not just one person. You just have to put that mindset into everyone's head to get there."
It took some time for it to sink in this season.
"This makes me really happy knowing that, at the beginning of the season, I would have never in a million years thought that we were getting out as a team," senior Marley Jackson said. "Because I might think that Boston was going to get out individually again, but never as a team.
"Being our senior year, I can't think of a better time for us. Because we've all put in so much work."
The team aspect was important they said because they've each had to pick up the team at times throughout the season. This was no different. Jackson cleaned up her iron play that had plagued her the weeks before and had a career best 88 followed by 96s from Chambers and fellow senior Ava Norton. A 107 from Libby McElhinney rounded out the top four.
"It was always at least one or two people able to pull through for our team," Jackson said. "That's something that's really nice about our team is because we all know at least one or two will be there for us, so we don't have to put so much pressure on ourselves.
"Last week, I relied on the team. This week, I had a good score. It lets you have a bad day."
Edgewood couldn't have one of those and survive. The Mustangs were already on the bubble with South, so having showers move in after a long dry spell just made things potentially trickier.
"I was pretty worried about the weather and how nervous they would be," Edgewood coach Garry Lee said. "I kind of thought this would be our best chance in a while, maybe. It kind of worked out that way.
"Marley played amazing compared to a week and a half ago."
And compared to over 30 years of frustration, the whole day was amazing.
"We've been close so many times," Lee said. "Obviously, I'm just happy to finally to knock that one hurdle out of the way, and let's hope we can do some other stuff later on."
North keeps climbing up the hill
This group of North juniors and seniors has spent the entire season showing everyone how big a leap they have made since last year. Monday was no different, counting 35 fewer shots and moving up from seventh at sectional last year to second place this time around.
Mira Bruce (91), senior Kendon Galligher (93) and Kate Johnson (95) led the way with Sadie Woodring's 102 rounding out the effort.
"It shows that you don't need special lessons or get all the help in the world," North coach Harrison Carmichael said. "I think a lot of our golfers decided to go play a lot of golf in the last year. That's what it breaks down to and they made a conscious decision to be better.
"We've already talked about next year. The girls know they can do better and want to do better. Really proud of Kendon, just how she's rounding out her senior year playing some of the best golf she's ever played."
That experience helped them handle the conditions well.
"I always ask them, 'What's one thing you did well today and what's one thing you're most proud of?'" Carmichael said. "Sadie said she was really proud that she never saw any of our girls give up. She said a lot of the girls didn't seem like they wanted to be out here. They weren't having fun.
"But I can tell you from the get-go, all of our girls had smiles on their faces, and they knew from the get-go it was going to be one of those rounds where, if it's crappy, be happy."
Bowden works overtime
The afternoon portion was played under a steady rain that kept getting harder. Players had to take relief on few greens due to puddles that grew until the surface became unplayable.
The tournament was able to get the first six teams finished, representing half the field, which made the tourney official for those who were done. But at 2 p.m., play was stopped. With none of the remaining players or teams in contention to advance, they chose to have their remining scorecards filled in with double par instead of finishing.
The only remaining thing to do was a playoff for the last individual spot between Bowden and Owen Valley's Jackjlyn Wheeler, which took place once the rain cleared out. Both shot 97s to trail Indian Creek's Shelby Roach (95) and South's Howell (96).
They would play the par 3 Quarry No. 9 until someone won the hole. Both bogeyed it the first time, then Bowden put her next drive in the fairway just short of the green. She chipped long and her comebacker left a 10-footer, but Wheeler found the bunker and took two shots to get out.
Bowden's putt was true to put a smile on her face and earn a return trip to regional.
"It was definitely really nerve-wracking," Bowden said. "At first I didn't really know if I wanted to do it because I was so stressed out about the idea of it. But then as we started getting closer to it actually happening, I was like, 'OK. I've got this. I can do this.'
"I've played this hole so many times and gotten such good scores on it before."
Howell is making her first trip up and she didn't expect it.
"Going in today, my goal was to shoot under 100," Howell said. "But I didn't think I was going to advance out. Things have been up and down. I went through a slump for two weeks of a really bad hook, but I was consistent after that."
Lyla Haugh (100) and Silvia Walker (101) rounded out the Panthers' scorecard.
"Super proud of our girls," South coach Jim Southern said. "A few more strokes out there and we could have all went. But just how far we've come and getting better.
"It's going to work out where Kirin's dad (Craig) can be her coach up there and I can be the coach for Addison, so it'll be a lot of fun up there."
Eastern Greene at Otis Park
Eastern Greene's Izzi Forrester shot a 106 to earn the third and last individual qualifying spot by one shot at the Bedford North Lawrence Sectional on Saturday. She's the first T-Bird to make regional since Kenady Hudson in 2022.
The host Stars (345) and Seymour (381) outdistanced the field as Brownstown Central (413) took third. Eastern Greene shot a 456 to take fourth for the second year in a row.
The T-Birds got a 113 from Mia Banther, 114 from Maddie Sylvester, a 123 from Jadelyn Lyons and a 134 from Shelby Prince. Forrester will tee off in the Washington Regional at Country Oaks on Saturday
Medalist was Kinleigh Root from BNL. The other individual qualifiers were Dallas Hendrix from Springs Valley (102) and Alivia Sweet of Paoli (103).
BLOOMINGTON NORTH SECTIONALRESULTS
Team scores (top 3 advance): Martinsville 346; Bloomington North 381; Edgewood 387; Bloomington South 394; Indian Creek 420; Owen Valley 431; Columbus East 449; Columbus North 463; Brown County 464; Bloomfield 535; Hauser, NTS; Edinburgh NTS.
Leading individuals: 1. Aslyn Haywood, M 82; 2. Jocelyn Mercer, M 85; 3. Madelyn Martin, M 85; 4. Marley Jackson, Edg 88; 5. Mira Bruce, BN 91; 6. Kendon Galligher, BN 93; 7. Olivia Hittel, M 94; T8. Kate Johnson, BN 95; Shelby Roach, IC 95; T10. Boston Chambers, Edg 96; Addison Howell, BS 96; Ava Norton, Edg 96.
Individual qualifiers: Roach, IC 95; Howell, BS 96; Kirin Bowden, BS 97 (won playoff).
Other Bloomington North: Sadie Woodring 102, Evie Chitwood 104. Other Edgewood: Libby McElhinney 107; Eden Norton 118. Other Bloomington South: Lyla Haugh 100, Silvia Walker 101; Sarah Yeley 115. Owen Valley: Jacklyn Wheeler 97; Jada Inman 104; Haley Amador 114; Sadie Neff 116; Makayla Hall 126.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Edgewood girls golf team history at IHSAA sectional in Bloomington
Category: General Sports
