Bulldogs Start the Ball Rolling on 2026 Golf Season

Bulldogs golfers played their first meet of the 2026 season, the Sioux Valley Invitational at Meadow Creek Golf Course in Volga  on Monday, August 17. Mark Keeton, head coach for the Milbank boys, said, “We were treated to great weather. Volga can be tough with their big greens and slow play.” 

Senior Jeryn Bormann, in his second season on the MHS varsity squad, had the highest finish for Milbank at No. 37. He carded 101 at 29 over. “Jeryn is off to a solid start this season, and with the time he is putting in outside of practice, I look forward to seeing his scores continue to drop,” stated Keeton. 

Junior Pierce Mathiason,in his third year on varsity, took 39th place with 30 over at 102.

Returning senior Thomas Bass mirrored Mathiason’s score and landed in 40th place.

Senior Seth VanHoorn, who is in his fourth non-consecutive season on varsity, was 31 over at 103 to take 44th place.

Garrett Wipf (76) of Brookings was the medalist. Lucas Daggett (78) of Roncalli was second. Jace Johnson (also at 78) took third place.

“I try to not read too much into the first meet, but we need to try to save as many strokes as we can with our course management and short game,” Keeton commented. “The boys are positive and working really hard.” 

Team Rankings: (1) Brookings JV 39+  (2) Aberdeen Roncalli +42  (3) Sioux Valley Gold +47  (4) Dell Rapids +63  (5) Sisseton +70  (T6) Groton +89  (T6) Sioux Valley Blue +89  (8) Milbank +120  (9) Redfield +130

Madison Invitational
Milbank traveled to the Madison Invitational on Thursday, August 20. “Madison was a hard test this year,’ Keeton said. “This might be our toughest meet of the year considering the number of teams involved and the difficulty of the course. Many of the holes were tipped out, to go along with tough pins and wind.”

Milbank’s team of Bass, VanHoorn, Bormann, Mathiason, and Jaxon Bear  finished with a score of 430 to take 15th place. Aberdeen Roncalli (331) won the meet, West Central (345) took second place, and Tri-Valley (347) was third. Their host Madison finished sixth. 

Lucas Daggett (77) of Roncalli was the medalist. He edged out Chase McQuirk (78) of Chamberlain by one stroke.

For Milbank, Bormann carded a 98. VanHoorn finished at 102. Bass shot a 114. Mathiason had a 116, and Bear, an eighth grader, shot a 117.

 “I enjoy the positivity of these boys and their work ethic,“ Keeton noted. “There are many areas we can improve, and we are trying to get better each and every week.”

What’s next? The Bulldogs were in Dell Rapids today. Come back to The Valley Express for the results.

Submitted Photos: Bottom Three- Jaxson Bear, Seth VanHoorn and Thomas Bass.