Whitehall capped off an impressive West Michigan Conference championship season with another jamboree win Thursday, taking the Montague jamboree.
The host Wildcats finished second, only three strokes behind, continuing a season of rapid improvement by their young roster.
Whitehall's score of 375 was fueled by a trio of top-4 finishes by the three players who ended WMC play in the top three spots individually: Grace McDowell, Morgan Garcia and Riley Shafer.
This time it was Shafer in the top spot with an 89, including a birdie. The freshman came into the season with high expectations, but by taking third place for the season, behind only two teammates, she exceeded them.
"It goes back to the summer play, really," Whitehall coach Bill Borgman said of Shafer. "She worked on her game a lot at the range and played by herself and got out there. It's determination is what it comes down to. She applied herself a lot, and it's showing. She had a couple personal records during this season. I think her low is somewhere around 82 or 83. That's great to see from a freshman."
McDowell was tied for second with a 91, which also included a birdie. She ended conference play as the medalist, which is due to her consistent play all season long. Borgman said her work is emblematic of a strong, steady senior.
"She was playing in competitive tournaments all summer, which helps her get mentally prepared for the high school season," Borgman said of McDowell. "She's a super steady player, (shooting) anywhere from 82 to a 91 (Thursday). That's hard to find, someone that can be consistent."
Garcia shot a 92 to finish fourth individually - and also made a birdie - and Felicity Dingman posted a 103 to round out Viking scoring.
Borgman said the consistent play of the whole team is responsible for the WMC title, and the Vikings' season is far from over. In fact, Whitehall will host both the GMAA and regional tournaments at White Lake Golf Club, which creates an opportunity.
"That's to our advantage, I would say, with the home course advantage," Borgman said. "For regionals we haven't seen many of the other teams such as Forest Hills Eastern. We've seen Big Rapids, but there's an element of unknown with the other schools. We feel pretty good shooting in that 370 range. We should be able to...have a pretty good chance at the city meet."
Montague had a lot to be pleased about too with its team score of 378. Braylyn Bultema tied with McDowell for second place, shooting a 91, including a birdie. Cadence Fox and Brynlee Kessler shot a 92 and 94 respectively, both placing in the top 10 (Fox made a pair of birdies). Marguerite O'Connell had a 101 to take Montague's fourth scoring spot.
"I'm very satisfied with how we finished the conference season," Montague coach Phil Kerr said. "The
amount of growth that the girls have shown in a short amount of time has
really been fun to witness. Whitehall has a great mix of senior
leadership and young talent that was clearly the top of the conference
from start to finish. Our goal from week 1 was to close the gap and
also hold off a young and talented North Muskegon team that also has a
promising future."
