North, East take 5th, 7th in golf regional; Bunker qualifies for state

FRANKLIN — On a challenging windy day at The Legends Golf Club, not too many players wound up happy with the numbers on their scorecards.

Ava Bunker didn’t have much cause for complaint.

The Columbus North freshman carded a 2-under-par 70, good for individual medalist honors during Saturday’s Franklin Regional.

Despite being the only player to finish in the red, Bunker couldn’t resist the urge to pick her day apart at least a little bit.

“The only bad thing is I hit it in the water today,” she said. “A couple of putts weren’t dropping — but that’s golf for you.”

Columbus North’s Ava Bunker putts during Saturday’s regional at The Legends in Franklin.

Chris Williams | For The Republic

The Bull Dogs finished with a team total of 343, good for fifth place in the 15-team field. Erin Hopkins shot an 82, with Lindsey Hartwell (89), Ratisha Rashmil (102) and Nettie Meeks (103) rounding out the lineup.

Columbus East, which was seventh with a 383, was led by Carter Gant’s 83. Katie Hong came in with a 93, followed by Lillian Steinwedel (97), Avery Brooks (110) and Grace LaSell (112).

Sophia Curry and Alexis Carson shot 93 and 94, respectively, for Jennings County, which totaled 430 to place 12th. They were joined by Lauren Galvan (104), Shelby Davis (139) and Rachael Manning (148).

Center Grove won the team championship with a 313, with Batesville (320) and Floyd Central (321) also moving on to next weekend’s state finals at Prairie View in Carmel. Franklin’s Lexi Ray (72) joined Bunker as an individual qualifier.

Columbus North’s Ava Bunker tees off during Saturday’s regional at The Legends in Franklin.

Chris Williams | For The Republic

Though her teammates aren’t advancing with her, Bunker feels good about her chances to make some noise as an individual.

“I’ve just got to go into it calm-mindedly and make sure I prepare,” she said. “Get enough rest, practice up — I’ll be fine. I like Prairie View a lot.”