TERRE HAUTE — Psst. There’s a secret to high school girls golf in the Wabash Valley.
Keep this under your hat, but the girls who play the most seem to get better.
Actually, it’s not a secret that’s been kept all that well. Northview’s girls used what they learned in summer play to dominate the fall high school season for several years, and last year some busy summer Braves led Terre Haute South to a sectional championship.
And now the golfers from Terre Haute North and West Vigo are also picking up on the idea, much to the delight of their coaches.
Several South players even played in Terre Haute’s women’s city tournament recently. They weren’t able to beat their coach Cara Stuckey, but Stuckey was pleased with what she saw from her team.
Asked recently what the strengths of her veterans players is, other than their regular summer participation, she answered, “That’s their strength right there.” Other coaches know how she feels.
“I’ve seen [prospective Northview players] on the [Forest Park] course a lot,” echoed coach Josh Trout of Northview when talking about his prospects for this fall.
Abe Nasser of North was happy to point out that a couple of his newcomers were regulars this summer on the state junior tours, and Rick Petty of West Vigo picked up on some new attitude and dedication from his experienced players when he saw them compete in the city junior tournament.
So the caliber of girls high school golf in the Valley seems to be improving, which is fortunate. Survivors of the sectional at Forest Park move on to maybe the state’s most brutal regional at Martinsville’s Foxcliff Golf Club; last year that regional had the state champion (the Artesians, for a 10th time) and its third-place finisher (Columbus North).
Here are some specifics for the four teams in Vigo and Clay counties.
n Northview — The Knights were Western Indiana Conference champions and sectional runners-up last year but will be replacing Mary Beth Tribble, their No. 1 player throughout her high school career.
“It’ll be interesting to see who fills those shoes,” Trout said earlier this week, noting that junior Olivia Oehler was going to be in Northview’s No. 1 spot Monday at the Brebeuf Invitational.
Oehler is one of three veterans back from last year’s postseason lineup for the Knights, the other two being senior Savanah Pursell and junior Mandy Thomlinson.
The next three spots for the opening tournament were to be filled by sophomore Shelby French, junior Allison Trout (she’s the coach’s cousin) and sophomore Hayley Miller. Two other seniors — Ali Rentschler and Allie Melega — have shown considerable improvement and are pushing for spots in the lineup too.
“We have a lot of good athletes,” Trout said, noting that some impressive freshmen are also included on his 13-player roster. “They’ve all worked really hard, they’ve done a lot of conditioning … the potential is there. We’ve just got to put some scores together.”
n Terre Haute North — Nasser’s Patriots were fourth in the sectional last year and the two players who qualified as individuals for the regional, Whitney Crowley and Danielle Rosselli, have graduated. But the coach feels his team will be much better this time around.
Two seniors back from last year’s lineup are Abby Colwell, who figures to be the team leader, and Emily Adams. They could be filling the second and third spots, however, because freshman Rachel Welker — one of those tour players Nasser mentioned — looks like an immediate fit in North’s No. 1 spot.
Juniors Samantha Greasor and Hanna Curley are among four players fighting for the last two spots, but again it’s the younger competitors who have Nasser excited. Sophomore Rachel Helt “is probably the most improved player we have; she played some summer tour events too,” he said. And freshman Jesi Kaperak … well, is named Kaperak.
“She hasn’t played much,” Nasser said of the freshman, whose uncle is local golf legend Ted Kaperak, “but Ted’s been working with her. Her swing and her putting are unreal.”
North’s first competition is Saturday, when the Patriots host a girls invitational for the first time in several years at Hulman Links.
n Terre Haute South — The Braves have added some new tournaments to toughen their veteran players, and opened Monday in the Plainfield Invitational at Oak Tree (site of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference match, where the Braves were second a year ago).
South actually has two No. 1 players, both juniors. Sloane Engle assumed that role sometime during her freshman season, but was overtaken in last year’s postseason events by Kelsey Fuqua. Fuqua went on to qualify for the state finals as an individual, shooting an 87 on the first day.
Senior Katelynn Gosnell is another South veteran, and the two players who were in the postseason lineup a year ago — senior Alana Whitlock and sophomore Caylee Walburn — are also back. The latter two will have to fight off challenges for playing time from senior Bree Opremchak, another experienced Brave, and sophomore Katie Thomas.
“We hit the ball well,” Stuckey said of her team. “Now it’s a matter of getting our short games better, eliminating some extra shots around the green.
“Hopefully we can repeat as sectional champs,” Stuckey said when asked about season projections. “You never know going into that Martinsville Regional.”
n West Vigo — Lots of things are now in the Viking program, including a home course and a public-service mission. The players — although still young — are not new, however, which Petty is happy to see.
West Vigo, seventh in the sectional and third in the Western Indiana Conference last fall, will play home matches this year at The Landing at Fort Harrison — “I want to thank Jim Jenkins and Scott Riley for making that workable,” Petty emphasized — and will stress breast-cancer awareness with pink ribbons on their shirts. “We’re going to ‘Swing for the Cure,’ ” Petty said.
Seven of the eight Vikings on this year’s team played last year, including the top four players a year ago — juniors Cecilia Gray, Mary Roberts, Brittany Edmondson and Ashley Kennedy.
Two more juniors, Christina Vines and Emilie Roberts (no relation to Mary), and sophomore Emily Wheatfill complete the list of returnees, and freshman Kristina Smith is the team’s newcomer.
“We were 8-5 [in dual matches] last year, a pretty successful season,” Petty said. “We’re hoping for a little better record this time, and maybe go a little farther in the conference meet.
“The girls dedicated themselves a little more in the summer,” he concluded. “Our attitude is starting to be more competitive.”
The Vikings’ first competition is the Aug. 12 South Invitational.
High School
Coaches seek payoff for golf preparation
- High School
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It’s a rivalry-filled Memorial Day for sectional contenders
Longtime rivalries figure to determine high school baseball sectional champions throughout the Wabash Valley today, with semifinal and final games scheduled at four sites and a stand-alone championship game at a fifth.
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South tops Oldenburg to win tennis semistate
There was no evidence of rally caps, rally towels and certainly no rally squirrels, but Terre Haute South’s No. 1 singles player Maddie Kesler needed a rally in the worst way.
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New route leads to same place for South girls tennis
For so many years, the road to the IHSAA girls tennis state finals for local teams ran through Vincennes (regional) and Jasper (semistate). In other words, south and more south.
This year, their trip was re-routed through Greencastle (regional) and Center Grove (semistate). So it cnahged to east and more east. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Robinson tops Greenville in sectional semifinal
Robinson jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then cruised to a convincing 12-3 victory over Greenville in a IHSA Class 2A Vandalia sectional semifinal game on Thursday.
Ashlyn Sullivan was 2 for 3 with a double, home run and three RBIs to lead the winning Maroons. -
West Vigo baseball falls in sectional to Owen Valley
West Vigo overcame the odds to win 20 high school baseball games this season with a lineup that often included four freshmen and few seniors.
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South Vermillion softball's late-season surge comes to end
A late-season surge by South Vermillion wasn’t quite enough to halt a high school softball sectional winning streak by the host team Thursday night, as Edgewood got on top early and held on for a 5-2 win in the championship game of the Class 3A Edgewood Sectional.
The loss was just the second in the last 12 games for the Wildcats. The Mustangs, however, haven’t lost a sectional softball game for eight years in a row. -
South takes second, North third at boys track regional
Terre Haute South finished second and Terre Haute North third on Thursday night at the boys track and field regional at Evansville Central, with 11 individuals and three relay teams qualifying for the state finals June 2.
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PREP ROUNDUP: White River Valley baseball holds off Eminence
Three Eminence errors in the top of the sixth inning finally enabled White River Valley to score in high school baseball Thursday night, and the Wolverines went on to a 5-0 win in Class A Shakamak Sectional action.
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Feeling cursed: South bitten in sectional final again
Terre Haute South softball is not even close to being as cursed as a certain northside baseball team in Chicago, but it might just seem like it.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Mundy, Porter, Knight individual regional winners
Chanli Mundy and Keirra Porter of Terre Haute North were among the individual winners in the IHSAA Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Thornton puts away South Vermillion
Cody Thornton’s three-run blast over the left-field fence was the finishing touch to West Vigo’s 10-3 victory over South Vermillion in the opening game of the Class 3A Greencastle Sectional on Wednesday.
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Lakers triumph, go home for regional
Shakamak took Class A Clay City Sectional honors in high school softball for the first time since 2009 Wednesday, defeating White River Valley 9-5 in the title tilt.
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North Vermillion avenges losses
North Vermillion avenged two high school softball losses during the regular season to win the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional championship Wednesday with a 3-2 triumph over the host Panthers.
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Pats, Knights will meet in sectional
Adler Ingalsbe pooh-poohed his lack of velocity Wednesday night, yet the Terre Haute North pitcher was throwing BBs in the first game compared to Mooresville’s Brandon Topie in the nightcap.
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South outbattles Northview to reach sectional final
Even the best of high school softball pitchers can’t keep all the batters in the middle of Terre Haute South’s lineup down.
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Panthers get 20th win in sectional
Riverton Parke will face North Vermillion in the Class A softball sectional championship at Riverton Parke today, with action commencing at 6 p.m.
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Plainfield Sectional all about parity
Considering Terre Haute South has won five consecutive Class 4A sectional titles in high school baseball, naming the Braves as favorites to capture the 2012 Class 4A Plainfield Sectional would not seem far-fetched.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North Vermillion in title game
Casey West had a triple and three runs scored to help North Vermillion softball advance to the championship game of the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional on Tuesday.
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North takes second in track regional
Terre Haute North finished second with 74 points, six behind team champion Evansville Reitz, during the Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Wildcats advance to sectional softball final; West Vigo falls
Patience, patience.
South Vermillion exhibited great patience, being very selective at the plate and it paid off royally in the fourth inning. -
South, Crawfordsville win in regional tennis semis
Terre Haute South outlasted Fountain Central 4-1 in the first round of the girls high school tennis regional Tuesday, advancing the Braves into today’s championship match against Crawfordsville.
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Braves, Knights open with wins
It was an excellent night for starting softball pitchers to help their own cause Monday night in the Class 4A Northview Sectional.
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Lough dreamt about McMillan
A two-time state finalist in wrestling and a two-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference football player and wrestler, Tsali Lough of Terre Haute South was named the male recipient of the 2012 McMillan Award on Monday night at South’s Senior Awards Night.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Panthers cruise in sectional opener
Sarah Burnham pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in high school softball Monday evening as host Riverton Parke defeated defending champion Rockville 10-0 in opening-round action at the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional.
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Notable tradition bodes well for Riverton Parke
Located practically in the shadow of a high school that sets one state standard in track and field, Riverton Parke has a tendency to be overlooked in that sport.
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Vikings get 18th win over Shakamak
West Vigo began a busy week of high school baseball Monday on a winning note, defeating Shakamak 6-3.
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Greencastle new site for girls tennis regional
The starting times might prove to be a bone of contention, but otherwise coaches Bill Blankenbaker and Emily Goff are thrilled their respective girls high school tennis teams will begin play today at the Greencastle Regional.
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Northview sectional groups 3 20-win teams
Three teams with 20-plus victories will attempt to claim the Class 4A Northview Sectional crown for high school softball this week, and most of the other Wabash Valley sectional fields also appear to be wide open.
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Terre Haute South softball takes Riverton Parke tournament
Terre Haute South is going into the Class 4A Sectional at Northview on Monday with momentum, confidence, a deep bench and a healthier pitching staff than it has had in quite a while.
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North baseball splits doubleheader with Indy North Central
Some of their incentive could have been sapped a couple of nights earlier, when Center Grove achieved an eight-inning victory over Warren Central to clinch the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball championship.
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