NEWBURY—Hawken and Perry added some new hardware to their trophy cases following strong performances at the Chagrin Valley Conference postseason tournament at Punderson Golf Course on Monday.
The Hawks won the Chagrin Division with an impressive 348 while Perry claimed the Valley Division crown with 399 strokes.
Hawken junior Ella Wong shot a career-low 69 to earn her third straight postseason tournament medalist award.
“Today, my putting was just really good,” Wong said. “It was on. I had a lot of one-putts. I did have one three-putt though on 16, which was very disappointing, but I came back on 18 with a birdie so that helped me break 70.”
Wong, a two-time state placer, hopes this round carries over into the postseason as she has her sights set on a repeat trip to Columbus, although she hopes to place higher than she has in the past. She finished eighth as a sophomore and 17th as a freshman.
“This round definitely boosted my confidence,” she said. “Heading into the postseason, I’d just like to work on my approach shots and get them closer to the hole so I can make more birdies. I mean, I had four today, but in the future, if I have a bad hole, I might need more to recover.”
Hawken’s Kate Petersen shot an 84 to finish second in the Chagrin Division while Julianna Pollard (92) and Helena Yanchar (103) also finished among the top 15. Pollard placed seventh while Yanchar was 14th.
Independence finished with a 358, 10 strokes behind Hawken, but the Blue Devils won the overall Chagrin Division league title thanks to their win at the preseason tournament and strong performance during the dual match portion of the regular season.
Led by five golfers who placed among the top 15, the Blue Devils trimmed 14 strokes from their preseason tournament score.
Emma Konopa shot an 89 to finish third at the preseason tournament. She finished third again on Monday but she cut four strokes off of her score to finish with an 85.
“With preseason, I was more inconsistent and I had more blowup holes,” Konopa said. “This round, I had no blowup holes and I stayed with low numbers and just consistently did well.”
Molly McGreal opened the season with a 90 at the preseason tournament. She closed out her round on Monday with a score of 87 to place fourth overall.
“For me, my first nine during the preseason, I played not my best but turned it around,” McGreal said. “This time, I was way more consistent. I shot a 44 and a 43, so I felt more like I didn’t really have to turn it around or worry about my score as much.”
Hillary Esper carded a 90 to finish fifth while Kate Coljohn (96) and Macey McGhee (103) placed 10th and 14th, respectively.
Chagrin Falls finished third in the Chagrin Division with 391 strokes.
Ali Holtz led the Tigers with a 91, good for sixth place. Sam Holtz (96) and Ellie Conrad (100) finished 10th and 13th, respectively, for Chagrin Falls.
“My front nine was a little tough but I think that’s the most important part of golf is being able to turn it around,” Ali Holtz said. “It was really nice to start off with a 48 and then be able to finish with a 42 on the back.”
Holtz struggled to find consistency on the front nine but found her groove on the back, thanks to her mental toughness that allowed her to stay focused on the next shot rather than to dwell on any trouble she encountered.
She also locked in on the greens, which allowed her to finish strong.
“I actually putted pretty well,” she said. “I’m a pretty consistent putter so that was a nice part of my game today.”
Lutheran West’s Julia Colton (8th, 93) and Callie Wabeke (10th, 96), and Orange’s Kerry Kelly (9th, 94) also finished among the top 15 in the Chagrin Division.
Perry went wire-to-wire to win the Valley Division outright.
The Pirates opened the season with a team title at the CVC preseason tournament and then won all 10 regular season dual matches. Perry closed out their league title run with 399 strokes at the postseason tournament. Edgewood finished second with 436 strokes.
Emily Capitosti powered the Pirates to the title as she claimed medalist honors with a Valley Division best 91. She finished third at the preseason tournament with a 103.
“It was really fun,” Capitosti said. “I shot the lowest I have ever shot on this course. It felt really good. I learned some new things over the course of the rest of the season that just helped now.”
Capitosti attributed her improvement between the preseason and postseason tournaments to her work on the greens.
She focused on her approach shots and locked in with her putter to avoid holes with three or more putts.
“Whenever you get on the (green), if you take too many, it just really ruins your score,” she said. “My drives weren’t that great today but my one-putting that stayed under three just really helped today.”
Perry landed five more golfers among the top 15.
Emma Pietrzak (101) was fourth, Ashley Anderson (103) placed fifth, and Addy Trefzger (104) tied for sixth. Emily Kusar (111) and Olivia Siefrick (113) placed 12th and 14th, respectively.
“It’s really big,” Capitosti said of the league title. “I think this is one of the (longest streaks) we’ve ever done without being defeated. We’re just all really close and that really helps, especially when you go out there because you know they’re all there supporting you and it really helps.”
Edgewood’s Kaci Kanicki, the preseason tournament champion, finished second overall with a 95, and teammate Taylor Racut was third with a score of 100.
“It was pretty satisfying because I was out there and I had a few holes where I really struggled,” Kanicki said. “I think I kind of cleaned it up a little bit. I wasn’t super happy with shooting a 95, because I know I’m capable of more, but it’s good to know that I still succeeded at the end.”
Kanicki’s short game was on but she did struggle off the tee and with her long irons.
“I was kind of hitting everything to the left a little bit and the putting was rough because the greens had been aerated a little bit,” she said. “It gives me a lot of confidence because I know even on my bad days I can succeed and do OK in the end. I’m just excited to come back for sectionals.”
Avery Vencill also finished among the Top 15 for the Warriors. She shot a 106 to finish ninth.
Lakeside finished third with 449 strokes. The Dragons landed three golfers in the top 15.
Hannah Mathias led that trio with a 104, good for sixth place. Tayler Wilber placed 10th with a 107 and Katelyn Grim was 15th with a 115.
Geneva’s Abbi Tagle (8th, 105), West Geauga’s Jane Javorek (11th, 110), and Berkshire’s Athena Stute (13th, 112) rounded out the top 15.
FULL RESULTS
CHAGRIN DIVISION
1. Hawken 348
2. Independence 358
3. Chagrin Falls 391
4. Lutheran West 411
5. Cuyahoga Heights 474
6. Orange DNS
Individual Scoring
1. Ella Wong (HAW) 69
2. Kate Petersen (HAW) 84
3. Emma Konopa (IND) 85
4. Molly McGreal (IND) 87
5. Hillary Esper (IND) 90
6. Ali Holtz (CF) 91
7. Julianna Pollard (HAW) 92
8. Julia Colton (LW) 93
9. Kerry Kelly (ORA) 94
10. Kate Coljohn (IND) 96
10. Sam Holtz (CF) 96
10. Callie Wabeke (LW) 96
13. Ellie Conrad (CF) 100
14. Macey McGhee (IND) 103
14. Helena Yanchar (HAW) 103
16. Milly Fischer (CF) 104
17. Shai Moore (CH) 106
18. Adriann Buyansky (IND) 108
19. Julianne Rankin (CF) 109
19. Emma O’Brien (CF) 109
21. Ella Walden (LW) 110
22. Marin Roshkowski (LW) 112
23. Lauryn Wilson (CH) 115
24. Emma Collins (LW) 117
25. Amy Ellis (CH) 122
25. Kylie Leska (ORA) 122
27. Ronetta Bell-Moore (ORA) 129
27. Marisa Grossberg (HAW) 129
29. Anna Patterson (CH) 131
30. Allysa Simunek (CH) 132
31. Sol Rivera (HAW) 134
32. Hailey Toth (CH) 143
VALLEY DIVISION
1. Perry 399
2. Edgewood 436
3. Lakeside 449
4. Berkshire 473
5. Geneva 492
6. West Geauga 493
Individual Scoring
1. Emily Capitosti (PER) 91
2. Kaci Kanicki (EDG) 95
3. Taylor Racut (EDG) 100
4. Emma Pietrzak (PER) 101
5. Ashley Anderson (PER) 103
6. Hannah Mathias (LAK) 104
6. Addy Trefzger (PER) 104
8. Abbi Tagle (GEN) 105
9. Avery Vencill (EDG) 106
10. Tayler Wilber (LAK) 107
11. Jane Javorek (WG) 110
12. Emily Kusar (PER) 111
13. Athena Stute (BER) 112
14. Olivia Siefrick (PER) 113
15. Katelyn Grim (LAK) 115
16. Riley Demeo (WG) 117
17. Sophia Ladauto (BER) 118
17. Hailee Vandevander (GEN) 118
19. Brook Ruchalski (BER) 119
20. Marissa Calabris (LAK) 123
21. Kaylee Polechak (BER) 124
21. Hope Zagar (BER) 124
23. Aurora Martin (BER) 126
23. Alyssa Peltz (WG) 126
25. NeVaeh Carlo (LAK) 133
25. Anna Ellis (GEN) 133
27. Emma Hart-Wood (EDG) 135
28. Faith York (GEN) 136
29. Amber Baldwin (LAK) 138
30. Sophia Bell (GEN) 140
30. Marina Thomas (WG) 140
32. Alexis Shuttleworth (GEN) 144
