Improving on the 2016 season isn’t going to be easy for the Independence girls’ golf team.
The Blue Devils finished second at the Division II state golf tournament, just four strokes behind state champion Milan Edison.
“As always, we play one of the toughest DII schedules in Ohio,” said fourth-year coach Karl Schuld. “We want to improve each week so that we are ready to compete at tournament time. Obviously, we return some talented golfers, but it will be our team goal not to get ahead of ourselves with thoughts about repeating or topping what we did last year. We want to continue to have fun, while hopefully improving before sectionals begin.”
With their eyes on a state title, the Blue Devils, who finished 12-0 and won the Chagrin Valley Conference as well as sectional and district titles, return four seniors who competed in the state championships last fall.
Sophia Trombetta, a Michigan recruit, finished third overall at the state tournament after winning both sectional and district crowns last fall. She also claimed medalist honors in all 12 of the Blue Devils’ dual meet victories and won six tournaments.
“Sophia is one of the finest golfers in the area,” Schuld said. “She is one of our captains and sets a tremendous example for her teammates. She works very hard and puts in hours of work each week to improve.”
Lyndsay Blum finished tied for 20th at state and is among the area’s top golfers.
“Lyndsay would be the number one golfer at most schools,” Schuld said. “She had a fantastic summer, scoring in the 70s on several occasions. She is a two-year varsity captain and she has really helped our younger players. She is on the verge of becoming a top 10 golfer in DII.”
Seniors Maddie Harper and Madeline Mindzora are in a heated competition to fill out the No. 3 and 4 spots in the Independence lineup.
Harper was the team’s most improved golfer last season.
“She had a breakout performance at the state tournament,” Schuld said. “She is now in her fourth year as a varsity player and her experience will certainly help her this year. Maddie is a very hard worker as well, and she is capable of scoring very well this year.”
Mindzora, also a fourth-year player, scored at the state tournament and should be a key factor in any run the Blue Devils make this fall.
“She hits the ball very far off of the tee and uses that as an advantage over many of the girls she plays against,” Schuld said. “Madeline is poised to have a fantastic senior year.”
The Blue Devils have several players battling for the fifth spot in the lineup.
Senior Krsak could have an edge in that competition.
“She is a hard worker and she has a lot of experience,” Schuld said.
