By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
When the season began this fall, the Waterford High School girls golf team hopes to finish atop the Southern Lakes Conference. After returning the entire starting team from last year’s third-place squad, head coach Jody Hanson was looking for great things from this fall’s squad.
Sometimes things do not go as planned, and that was certainly the case this fall for the Wolverine girls.
“Injuries hit us hard,” Hanson said, adding that every starter dealt with an injury at some point in the season.
Starter Madison Corey was injured partway through the season and never did return to action. Then in the regional action Sept. 26, senior Emily Powers hurt her knee two-thirds of the way through the round, and had to gut it out the final six holes.
As a team, the Wolverines carded a 409 on the tough Brighton Dale Links course. That was seventh among the eight teams. The top four teams advanced to sectional, as well as the top four individuals not on qualifying teams. No one from Waterford advanced.
“We played better than we did at conference,” Hanson said. “I was proud of that.”
Junior Leilyn Nowaczynski led Waterford with a 98, the first time she had ever been below 100.
“That was a really nice way to finish,” Hanson said.
Nowaczyski narrowly missed advancing to sectional. She was the fifth-best individual from a non-qualifying team.
Sophomore Whitney Look, who replaced Corey on the varsity squad when Corey was injured, carded a 103, as did senior Samantha Mamerow. Senior Emily Powers finished off the team scoring with a 105.
Sophomore Breanna Berschinger was the fifth Wolverine golfer, and she shot a 109.
Corey, Mamerow and Powers all will be graduating next spring.
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