Schuchard and Wiik in Top 10 at NEC Golf Meet

Lady Bulldog Shaylee Schuchard earned seventh place and Jaclyn Wiik took ninth at the Northeast Conference girls golf meet on Monday, May 15, in Sisseton. Camila Monroy received 15th place. Mia VanLith and Sophia Homrighausen also competed for Milbank

Schuchard, a junior in her third season on the team, has moved into the No.1 spot for Milbank.
She carded a 57 on the front and a 54 on the back for a 111. Wiik, also a junior, scored a 62 on the front and a 58 on the back to finish at 120. Monroy came in at 136 (73-63); VanLith at 141 (75-66); and Homrighausen at 151 (76-75).

Mark Keeton, head coach for the MHS, commented, “Weather-wise it was probably the best day I’ve had in Sisseton, but I wish I could say the same for the course. The Valley View course was in tough shape for the golfers.  The rough had not been touched all year, and much of the day was spent looking for any ball that strayed off the fairway. ” 

Claire Crawford of Aberdeen Roncalli was named the medalist by one stroke. She shot a 101 (52-49). Grace Seyer, also of Aberdeen Roncalli, was the runner up at 102 (53-49). Ashlynn LaFramboise of Tiospa Zina captured third place at 104 (56-48) to edge out Carly Guthmiller who also finished at 104 (52-52).

Madison Invitational: 
Milbank traveled to the Madison Invitational on May 11 to face golfers from eight other teams at the Madison Country Club. 

Coach Keeton reported, “The girls were treated to some great weather at the Madison Invite and the course was in good shape. I’m very happy with the scores and the improvement I’m seeing.  To lower the scores more, we need to avoid the big number.  If we can avoid those big numbers and keep improving from 50 yards and in, you will see a big drop in scores.”
Schuchard scored a 103 (49-54) for 20th place. Wiik carded a 113 (52-610, and VanLith a 130 (58-72). Milbank entered just the three golfers and thus did not receive a team score. 

Team Standings: (1) Sioux Falls Christian (2) West Central (3) Dell Rapids (4) Beresford (5) Madison (6) Chamberlain (7) Sioux Valley (8) Parkston.

POET Invitational: 
Milbank hosted the POET Invitational on Monday, May 8, at Whetstone Creek Golf Course. Schuchard  earned sixth place for the Lady Bulldogs with her score of 101 (51-50).  Wiik cracked the top 10. She carded a 111 (53-58) to finish t 10th. Monroy was close behind at 117, but she did not place. VanLith shot a 139. 

For the Milbank JV team, Hailey Zinter shot a 65 on the back and a 74 on the front for a 139 and fifth place honors. Homrighausen came in at 145 (67-78), and Jacynda Street at 147 (77-70).  

Team Standings: (1) Madison – 399 (2) Groton – 427 (3) Roncalli -438 (4) Milbank -468. Sisseton, Redfield, and Tiospa Zina did not field complete teams.

“I would like to thank the ground crew at Whetstone Creek as they did an amazing job getting the course ready in a very, short time,” Coach Keeton remarked, “It was fun to give some girls their first taste of tournament play. Everyone did a great job of hanging in there with the ups-and-downs a round of golf can bring.”

Roncalli Invitational
The Bulldogs played in the Roncalli Invitational on Thursday, May 4, at Lee Park in Aberdeen. “The weather could not have been better, and the scores showed it,” Keeton said. “We need to tighten up our game around the greens, but I am very pleased with the effort and with the little time we have spent outside.” 

Monroy took the highest-place finish for the Lady Bulldogs at seventh. She shot a 94 (45-49). Schuchard was next for Milbank with a 95 (47-48) that was good for ninth place. Wiik carded a  101 (55-46) for 19th place; VanLith, a 120 (57-63) for 27th place; and Homrighausen, a 143 (69-74) for 30th place. 

Team standings: (1) Dell Rapids (2) Roncalli (3) Groton (4) Mobridge-Pollock and (5) Milbank.
What’s next for the Lady Bulldogs? Milbank heads to Sisseton to take on the competition from several schools at Valley View Country Club on Thursday, May 18.

Submitted Photos: Top to Bottom- Jaclyn Wiik, Shaylee Schuchard, Mia VanLith, Sophia Homrighausen and Camila Monroy.