Columbus North had one of its worst rounds of the season Friday on the first day of the Girls Golf State finals, so the Bull Dogs went into Saturday’s final round hoping to do a little better.
The Bull Dogs did that, if only by a small amount. They followed a 326 with a 324 on Saturday to finish in fourth place, which is right where they began the day.
“It was a little bit better than (Friday),” North coach Scott Seavers said. “Our girls battled. They hung in there, and they didn’t give up and I’m proud of them.”
Zionsville, which fired a state-record 299 on Friday, posted Saturday’s best score, a 321, to run away with the title with a 620. Westfield edged three-time defending state champion Evansville North 638-639 for second.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Senior Danbi Kim led the Bull Dogs with a 76-74—150 to finish fifth individually.
“I didn’t play as well as I had been all season, but I still can’t be upset with how I played, and I’m still proud of my team for what they did,” Kim said. “I’m so happy with how everything turned out today.”
Kim tied for fifth in last year’s state finals with an identical score of 150. Again this year, she was named to the All-State squad.
Plainfield’s Kayla Benge won medalist honors with a 1-over-par 145. Kim’s 74 on Saturday tied the second-best score of the final round, just one shot behind Fort Wayne Dwenger’s Sarah Frazier.
“I wish I would have improved on that score because I wanted to place a little (better),” Kim said. “But I’m really happy with what I did today.”
Junior Alex Munnicha had Columbus North’s second-best score on both days. Her back-to-back rounds of 80 put her in a tie for 20th individually.
Munnicha overcame a triple-bogey on No. 9 to bounce back with a 39 on the back nine.
“Although we didn’t play too good, and we didn’t live up to our standards, we still grinded it out and tried to play our best,” Alex Munnicha said. “We feel good coming in finishing up our best and competing for the state title.”
Munnicha’s sister, freshman Nathaly Munnicha, had a five-shot improvement from Friday to Saturday. She followed an 86 with an 81.
The 167 was good enough to give Nathaly Munnicha a tie for 45th individually.
“I’m a little disappointed,” Nathaly Munnicha said. “It’s not what I wanted, but I’m proud no matter what happens, especially for the seniors. They did their best.”
Senior Julia Luken shot 89-91—180 to tie for 64th. Sophomore Annie Anderson played Friday and carded an 84, and senior Molly Donnell had an 89 on Saturday.
Kim, Luken and Donnell helped the Bull Dogs make their fourth consecutive state finals appearance.
“We’re going to miss these three seniors,” Seavers said. “They gave a lot to the program to get us here.”
