By Tim Wester
Sports Correspondent
The era of domination continues for the Union Grove girls golf team.
The Broncos earned their sixth straight Southern Lakes Conference championship with a sparkling effort at Brighton Dale Links Sept. 21.
Senior Jackie Bianchi’s 84 led the way for Union Grove (367), which finished nine strokes better than Lake Geneva Badger (376). Waterford (384) and Burlington (390) finished third and fourth respectively.
“Winning six in a row is pretty remarkable,” said Union Grove golf coach Eric Swanson, who has now won nine conference championships during his 20-year tenure for the Broncos. “I’ve been blessed with a run of players that really enjoy the game of golf and are willing to put in the work and get better all the time.”
Swanson certainly would add Bianchi to his list of talented golfers. The first team all-conference performer finished just one stroke behind medalist Holly Murphy of Badger.
“Jackie played really well all day,” Swanson said. “Her chipping was spot on and that really helped her score well.”
Second-team all-conference honoree Sydney Staaden also had a solid performance, finishing sixth overall with a 92, while first-team all-conference member Megan Koch (93) finished eighth.
“Megan and Sydney rallied on the back-9 to save their rounds,” Swanson said. “We really struggled, outside of Jackie, on the front nine. The first six holes are tight and we had trouble keeping the ball in play.”
Freshman Veronic Parco (98) and Liz Torhorst (104) rounded out the Bronco finishers.
“Although Veronica and Liz had a few big holes, they were solid for the most part.”
With another conference championship in hand, the Broncos look to make it three consecutive trips to the state tournament.
The quest for a three-peat won’t be easy with the likes of state-ranked Kettle Moraine in the Broncos regional and then Milton in the sectional.
If the Broncos advance in the regional, they will get their shot at Milton next week.
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