New Albany shot a 4-over-par 284 Saturday to win its fourth straight championship with scores of 68, 69, 73 and 74. Mason shot 295 to finish second at 593, and Dublin Jerome shot 294 to finish third at 595. The Elks finished fourth with rounds of 302 and 305 for a 607 total.
“These four teams were unbelievable all year and we were on the short end of it by shooting only good,” Elks coach Mike Dalton said. “We just didn’t shoot great. We shot three strokes over our average today. They shot 10 under and they deserve it.
“I anticipated New Albany shooting under 295 today, but never have three teams broken 300 on the same day for girls golf at state.”
The top four teams see each other often during the season in tournaments. Dalton emphasized how well the players, coaches and parents get along.
“We respect all these teams,” he said.
Elks junior Morgan Rodgers shot 71 Saturday after a 75 on Friday to finish at 146 in a tie for seventh place and made the all-state second team.
“It was really exciting, and it was really unexpected,” Rodgers said. “Yesterday I felt like I could’ve played better and today I feel like I got a few things figured out.”
Jenna Hayes shot 77 Saturday in her final high school round, junior Leeann Harker shot 79, freshman Brigid Nickell shot 78 and junior Sanjana Reddy shot 81.
“We played well overall, and we held our own against some of the best teams in the state, and I’m really proud of how we did,” Rodgers said. “We’re disappointed overall with where we placed, but we should still be proud of how well we played.”
The Elks have played in seven straight state tournaments and finished between second and fifth place. They are still looking for their first state title since their only one in 1995.
“It’s an honor to be part of a program that consistently plays well, gets to be part of the bigger tournaments and gets to play the more difficult courses so we can get ready ultimately to play here and play our best,” Rodgers said.
Two other area golfers finished in the top 20. Wilmington’s Lily Middleton shot 75-73 for a 148 and tied for 11th. Greenville’s Kenna Jenkinson shot a pair of 76s for a 152 and tied for 20th.
Boys: Bellbrook’s Andrew Magill shot 83-84 for a 167 and tied for 50th place. Lakota East’s Joe Wilson and Cleveland St. Ignatius’ Topher Reed shared medalist honors at 143. Ignatius shot 591 to win the team title. Lakota East finished fifth.
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