State Class A golf: LQPV sings its way to a state title

Jun. 14—BECKER — To avoid the mental anguish that comes with competing in a close state tournamentin the most mentally taxing of sports, the Lac qui Parle Valley girls golf team sang.

Staying in St. Cloud for the two-day state Class A tournament at Pebble Creek Golf Club, the Eagles had a half hour or so to kill on their van drive from the hotel to the course.

"I tried to record it," LQPV head coach Kipp Stender said with a grin. "They're really great singers."I should take them on tour."

Relaxed and in a light-hearted, joyous mood, the Eagles turned an 8-stroke deficit into a 1-stroke victory Wednesday, earning LQPV's third state championship in six years.

"It feels really good," Eagles junior Kaitlyn Kittelson said. "I think a lot of us were nervous to start off, but once we got going, it seemed like a normal day of golf."

LQPV shot a 346 to finish with a 696 after Monday's round of 350. Fillmore Central, which shot 342 on Day 1, carded a 355 to finish at 697. Close behind was Legacy Christian Academy, which finished at 703.

Stender, the former principal and now the owner of the The Country Butcher meat market in Dawson, credited his team for staying mentally focused and supportive. The Eagles have been to five straight state tournaments, missing the 2020 season that was canceled because of the pandemic. LQPV also won titles in 2018 and 2021.

"We won the first one by one stroke, too," he said.

In the Class A boys tournament, BBE finished sixth with a 688. Lakeview won with a 636. BBE's Brady Schwinghammer and LQPV's Carson Besonen each earned top-eight finishes to take home all-state honors. Schwinghammer wound up seventh with a 151, shooting a 79 on Day 2. Besonen had a 152, carding a 75 on Day 2, to finish eighth.

"I'll take it," Schwinghammer said.

Legacy Christian Academy junior Raquelle Nelson won the girls' state title, finishing with a 161. BOLD's Kenna Henriksen tied for second at 164 with Fillmore Central's Courtney Hershberger. Isabella Jacobs, LQPV's lone senior, shot the best round Wednesday, carding an 80 to finish at 165, good for fourth place.

LQPV ninth-grader Molly Halvorson finished in a tie for fifth, shooting an 83 Wednesday to finish with a two-day total of 169. Kittelson also shot a 169.

"There should be a lot of pride in the work these girls do in the program," Stender said. "Qualifying for state for five years in a row and winning three championships and just being great, awesome kids — good behavior, good students, respected by others — (who) played as a team all year long, they believed in each other and really came through today ... and yesterday."

They hit all the high notes, for sure, in the van and on the course.

Jacobson, who with Halvorson is also a member of the LQPV/Dawson-Boyd Silhouettes dance team that took second in state in both jazz and high kick divisions, was happy to go out with a state title.

"I don't think there is (a better way)," said Jacobs, who is headed to Southwest Minnesota State University to major in elementary education and play on the women's golf team. "I think we just went into the round confident and playing our own game.

"Coming into it, I think we knew we could do it. But it was something we knew we had to work for."

Stender called Jacobs a great leader. When asked, he said Jacobs and Kittlelson were maybe the best singers. What'd they sing?

"Just a bunch," Jacobs said. "We had Grace (Vacek) playing them on her phone."

For now, Kittelson is focused on a golf game that treated her well this week. She shot a season-best 82 in the first round to lead the Eagles. She said she worked hard on her swing with her coach the past week. It paid off with a state title.

As for her music career, she said she's being recruited by the choir director. Jacobs, for one, bestows her with the honor of being the Eagles' top voice.

"Probably Kate," Jacobs said with a smile.

Henriksen, the BOLD junior, said she was plagued with the worst of illnesses in 2022 when it comes to the world of golf: "Shank-itis."

It led to state tournament rounds of 108 and 95 for a 203 total that left her in 44th place in 2022. A good showing for a sophomore, to be sure, but nothing like 2023, where the improvement is vast.

Henriksen tied for second place this year with a 164, shooting an 84 Wednesday after an 80 on Tuesday that left her one strike off the lead.

"I'm happy with the overall because it was a lot better than last year," Henriksen said.

"Last year, I had shank-itis. So this is good."

What's the definition of shank-itis? "Some terrible shots that happened," she said with a smile.

The cure was a summer of hard work at her home course in Olivia. She's gearing up for another busy summer with more tournaments.

Lindsey Lund hit the shot of the day in finishing in eighth place. The Dawson-Boyd sophomore shot an 83 Wednesday to finish with a two-day total of 170. Along the way came an eagle on the 330-yard 18th hole.

The key was sinking a 137-yard shot using an 8-iron.

"I just wanted to hit it close," Lund said. "I kind of pulled it a little bit, so I wasn't sure. Then, I just went crazy."

She said she saw the ball disappear. "I was like, 'Did that just go in?' I couldn't see it." The crowd watching her roared. It did.

Lund was especially happy to finish in the top 10 and receive a medal. She took another step up after finishing 17th at state last year. She's off to a busy summer of tournaments.

Alyssa Swedzinski, Lund's teammate on the Blackjacks, finished in 13th place, with rounds of 92 and 86 for a 178 total.

All in all, BBE head coach Matt Goodwin was pleased with how the season wrapped up for the Jaguars, who shot a 349 Wednesday after an opening-round 339.

"If you had told me at the beginning of the year we'd finish sixth in the state, I'd have been pretty happy," said Goodwin, whose squad earned third-place honors last year but lost three key seniors. "We came into today only eight strokes out of third and I couldn't have asked for more."

Leading the way was Schwinghammer. The senior, who is headed to Alexandria Technical College in the fall to play on the golf team and study business management, finished Wednesday with a 79 after shooting a 72 on Tuesday. He had a rocky finish Wednesday, with a couple of double bogeys in the final three holes.

"It's tough down here," he said. "You pretty much have to play under par to win."

Eli Gregory, the other returnee from the 2022 lineup, had rounds of 83 and 88 to finish tied for 52nd at 151.

While the Jaguars were senior-dominated this year, there's hope for the future. Seventh-grader Walker Winter wound up tied for 67th place with a two-day total of 177.

"He lives at the course in Brooten," Goodwin said. "It's going to be fun to see what he can do in a couple years. Right now, he's got older guys driving the ball 150 yards further than he can."

Besonen, the LQPV sophomore boys golfer, got an eagle on the 405-yard 18th hole. His last shot traveled 110 yards. His 75 meant that he could reach his goal of finishing in the top eight. The top eight receive medals.

Team scoring

(1) Lac qui Parle Valley 350-346—696 ... (2) Fillmore Central 342-355—697 ... (3) Legacy Christian Academy 356-347—703 ... (4) Park Christian 378-368—746 ... (5) Pine River-Backus 399-386—785 ... (6) Sleepy Eye United 400-396—796 ... (7) Fertile-Beltrami 438-397—835 ... (8) Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 435-406—841

Individual

TOP FIVE — (1) Raquelle Nelson, LCA, 79-82—161 ... (2t) Courtney Hershberger, FC, 81-83—164 ... (2t) Kenna Henriksen, BOLD, 80-84—164 ... (4) Isabella Jacobs, LQPV, 85-80—165 ... (5t) Kianna Johnson, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley, 85-84—169 ... (5t) Molly Halvorson, LQPV, 86-83—169 ... (5t) Kaitlyn Kittleson , LQPV, 82-87—169

LQPV — (4) Jacobs 80-85—165 ... (5t) Halvorson 86-83—169 ... (5t) Kittleson 82-87—169 ... (40t) Grace Vacek 97-96—193 ... (67) Peyton Sachs 106-106—212 ... (68) Kate Ulstad 113-100—213

BOLD — (2t) Henriksen 80-84—164

CCS — (51) Katrina Velyan 102-97—199

DB — (8) Lindsey Lund 87-83—170 ... (13) Alyssa Swedzinski 92-86—178

Team scoring

(1) Lakeview 322-324—636 ... (2) Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 324-319—643 ... (3) Fertile-Beltrami 332-319—651 ... (4) Fillmore Central 331-323—654 ... (5) Heritage Christian Academy 339-323—662 ... (6) Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 339-349—688 ... (7) Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 342-349—691 ... (8) Ottertail Central 355-342—697

Individual

TOP FIVE — (1) Cole Witherow, New Life Academy (Woodbury) 69-70—139 ... (2) Jake Fishbaugher, FCC, 68-73—141 ... (3t) Carson Boe, Lakeview, 71-72—143 ... (3t) Hunter Schmidt, Martin County West, 71-72—143 ... (5) Parker Brock, W-H-A, 71-74—145

BBE — (7) Brady Schwinghammer 72-79—151 ... (52t) Eli Gregory 83-88—171 ... (67t) Walker Winter 89-88—177 ... (78) Matthew Walz 98-91—189 ... (85) Jamison Reed 122-105—227

BOLD — (47t) Grant Pfarr 82-87—169

COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN — (57t) Will Chapin 87-86—173

DAWSON-BOYD — (47t) Carson Stratmoen 86-83—169

LQPV — (8) Carson Besonen 77-75—152

RENVILLE COUNTY WEST — (10t) Ryan Schrupp 76-79—155