Kaitlin Neumann Wins Medalist Honors at Sectionals

girls golf team placed third in the Division I sectional match at on Tuesday.

You can see the complete sectional golf results in the Plain Dealer roundup.

The challenge of this golf season wasn't a test solely for the players, coach Frank DeSmit said.

Four seniors graduated last year, leaving Mary Dickson the sole senior golfer this season. But there was also junior and last year's West Shore Conference MVP Kaitlin Neumann, and Erin McNamee, another junior.

“The challenge was to see if those younger girls could step up and fill the shoes of the seniors who graduated,” DeSmit said. "This season would show whether we have built a strong program, or if we were just blessed with a strong team the past few years. Having clinched our third straight WSC championship, we can say that challenge was met.”

The pay-to-play program hadn't decreased the team's numbers that much in DeSmit's eyes. But he admitted that girls who wanted to try out for sheer curiosity didn't show up for tryouts this year.

Although team workouts started Aug. 1, many on DeSmit's team play almost all year round as long as weather allows.

By the end of the season, in late fall, the weather usually adds to the difficulty. DeSmit remembers there being rain and sleet with 35-degree wind chill about two years ago.

DeSmit enjoys seeing his girls progress through the season.

“I enjoy seeing them jell as a team. Girls tend to listen more and take coaches' instructions to heart.”

One group taking his advice to heart this season is a “promising” group of sophomores, according to DeSmit, including Hannah Strack, Taylor Doehne, Hannah DeSmit, and Lisa Wallace.