Stoney Creek a bridesmaid once again at D-1 golf finals
Cougars’ Yurik earns medalists honors; Troy lands fifth, Adams 14th
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ALLENDALE — In a similar fashion to last season, Rochester Stoney Creek entered the Division 1 girls golf state finals is a No. 1 ranking. The Cougars still departed in the bridesmaid role.
Second-ranked Grosse Pointe South put together a dominating two-day effort of 692 to easily win the Lower Peninsula Division 1 state title at Grand Valley State University’s the Meadows Golf Course.
The Blue Devils shot 348 on Friday to build a 12-stroke lead over Stoney Creek and came back with a 344 total Saturday to claim the championship.
The finals were played under unfavorable conditions, which included a stiff, swirling wind. All scores were way off due to the conditions.
“Grosse Pointe South just played great,” conceded Stoney Creek coach Tony Lafferty. “They had a nice lead after the first day and played even better the second day. We just couldn’t catch them.
“I know the girls wanted to win, but second is still something to be proud of,” added Lafferty. “The wind was really bad and Grosse Pointe South handled it better than any other team.”
Stoney Creek, which finished first or second at eight tournaments this season, including wins at the Oakland county and regional, shot 360 the first day and 353 the second day for a 713 total. It marks the Cougars fourth straight top-five finish. Stoney Creek was fourth in 2008, third in 2009 and second in both 2010 and 2011 to cap a fine four-year run.
Plymouth finished a distant third at 732, defending champion Saline was fourth (345) and Troy fifth (747),he Colts’ second t straight top-10 finish.
Utica, in its first-ever finals berth, was sixth (749), followed by Brighton (761), Holt (776), Davison (782) and Livonia Churchill (796) in the top10 of the team standings.
Rochester Adams, which joined Stoney Creek and Troy as the other local school at the finals, finished 14th (830).
Stoney Creek’s Gabby Yurik carded a two-day total of 153 to win medalist honors by four strokes. East Kentwood’s Sara White was second (157), Plymouth’s Kelsey Murphy was third (158), Brighton’s Hannah Pietila fourth (161) and Saline’s Emily White fifth (165).
Yurik, who was third at state as a junior, second as a sophomore and fifth as a freshman, fought through the blustery conditions to prevail with her fourth-straight top-five finish but first-ever state title.
“I don’t know if it has sunk in just yet,” said Yurik. “I have never played in anything like this before. I just had to keep trying. I had to just try to go far pars and not birdies. It feels great to win, though.”
Yurik is the fourth straight Rochester Hills area golfer to win the D-1 medalist honors, following Rochester’s Amy Meier (2008) and Christine Meier (2009) and Stoney Creek’s Devon Compton (2010).
Down three strokes entering the second day, Yurik came back to shoot a 75 on Saturday, enough to vault her to medalist honors. Yurik shot 78 Friday, which landed her in third behind Plymouth’s Murphy (74) and East Kentwood’s White (75) and set the stage for a second-day rally.
“I knew I was close and I was paired with (Murphy) Saturday,” said Yurik, who has committed to Michigan State. “I didn’t change my game at all. I just kept playing the way I always do and was able to get a couple of birdies (on the back nine). I finally pulled away.”
Grosse Pointe South had four finishers in the top 15, led by Tenley Shield, who tied Utica’s Emily Clark for sixth at 167. Ella Pendy was tied for 10th (174), Claire Boyle finished 12th (175) and Lily Pendy 13th (176) for the Blue Devils.
Stoney Creek did not have any other finishers in the top 15. Chloe Guschewski shot 183 (93-90), Bailey Compton a 187 (91-96) and Abbie McCain a 191 (99-92). Anna Rode (98) and Therese Knapp (104) also competed on opposite days for Stoney Creek but did not figure into the scoring.
Troy’s program ventured from a winless team in 2007 to a school that made its third straight finals appearance. The Colts placed 12th in 2009 and sixth in 2010 before cracking the top five for the first time this season.
Kelly Feng tied for 10th to lead Troy, shooting a two-day total of 174 (87-87). Daphne Chang carded a 177 to place 16th (87-90), while Christine Dolikian was back at 196 (96-100) and Marisa Oelski posted a 200 (98-102). Amanda McCafferty’s 210 (101-109) did not count towards Troy’s team score.
Adams was making its first finals appearance in four years and only second in 12 seasons and finished with a two-day total of 830 (418-412). Kaela Sakorafis shot 203 (99-104), Kate Cenko a 208 (108-100), Briana Beger a 209 (99-110) and Carly Densmore a 212 (112-100). Natalie Lumsden (132) and Kristen Koltvedt (108) also played in the fifth position for the Highlanders.
There were four individual qualifiers from the www.northoaklandsports.com coverage area at the D-1 finals, but none crack the top 15. Troy Athens’ Jennifer Yang shot 180 (86-94), Rochester’s Hailey Bradley a 188 (88-100), Rochester’s Amanda Graham a 191 (102-89) and Lake Orion’s Stacy Lecznar a 195 (99-96). Graham is the only member of that group that is a senior.
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Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens
