Hornets Finish Pioneer Invite Just Off Medal Stand

The Saline Hornets girls’ golf team attended the Pioneer Invitational meet at the University of Michigan golf course on Thursday. The Hornets finished in fourth place with a 353, only two strokes off the third place team and six from second place. Stony Creek finished the day on top of the leaderboard with a 340.

“I feel like we played a little sloppy today; we wasted a lot of shots. The good news is that we’re gaining [on the competition]; we were only a couple shots out of third. We just need to sharpen a few things up,” said head coach Betsy French.

The 18-hole tournament tested the endurance as well as the ability of Saline’s golfers. Emily White had a team best 80, followed by Karla Gross’ 83, Heather Vogt 94 and Stacy Cruze rounded out the Hornet scoring with a 96. Rachel Hysong and Louisa Antonelli did not figure into the point total, having shot a 99 and 128, respectively.

White and Gross scored well enough individually to finish in the top ten golfers. Brighton’s Hannah Pietila scored a two-over 74 to lead the pack.

“The girls can see that we’re close. They can see that if everyone contributes three or four strokes here or there, we’re very competitive. Knowing that we have a steady one and two can encourage them to keep working on their strokes,” said French.

Beyond getting the experience of another 18-hole tournament under their belts, Thursday’s match had a secondary advantage to the Hornets. The University of Michigan golf course is also the location of Saline’s district tournament at the end of the season, so this year’s varsity team learned the ins and outs of one of the most difficult courses they will see during the year.

Saline will host Skyline on Monday, Sept. 12.