2023 Northwest Herald girls golf team preview capsules

Fox Valley Conference

Burlington Central

Coach: Sean Meyer (first season)

Last season: Seventh at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Ariana Riep, sr.; Gisele Shahzada, jr.

Key newcomers: Riya Gangavarapu, so.

Worth noting: Meyer enters his first season as the Rockets’ coach and is the team’s third coach in as many years. … Central took a step back in the FVC last year, going from fourth to seventh at the conference meet after graduating 2021 Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year Maya Gusciora. … Riep was one of two sectional qualifiers for the Rockets last fall. ... “We have a tight group of girls this year who enjoy being out on the course and learning and pushing themselves to become better each day,” Meyer said. “It should be a very exciting season.”

Crystal Lake Central co-op

(with Cary-Grove and Crystal Lake South)

Coach: Kyle McCaughn (ninth season)

Last season: Fifth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Addison Cleary, sr.; Estrella Bernal, sr.; Delaney Medlyn, jr.; Madeline Trannel, jr.; Rylee Rud, so.; Fiona McLaughlin, sr.; Ella Nawracaj, so.

Key newcomers: Ryleigh Mazzacano, fr., Aubrey Piotrowski, fr.; Abigail Martinez, fr.; London Goldsberry, fr.; Julia Hansen, jr.

Worth noting: The Tigers won last year’s McHenry County Tournament by 18 shots and placed four golfers inside the top 14. All four (Medlyn, Cleary, Trannel, Rud) are returning. … Medlyn, the 2022 Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year, won the McHenry County title by four shots with a 75 and took fourth at the conference meet. She was sixth at regionals (81), eighth at sectionals (79) and the area’s only golfer to advance to the Class 2A state tournament, where she tied for 64th with a score of 82-81–163. … Medlyn, Trannel and Rud earned All-FVC honors. Rud qualified for sectionals, edging out Cleary and Bernal in a playoff, and earned Northwest Herald All-Area honorable mention. … “With a good amount of experience returning and a great group of newcomers, the Tigers look to improve on last season,” McCaughn said. “This group can push us toward the top of the FVC and make a strong run in the postseason. The learning curve will be steep with this group.”

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Emma Ageneau (fourth season)

Last season: Sixth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Magen Laas, sr.; Sophie Morawski, jr.

Worth noting: The Chargers return five of their top six golfers as they look to climb the FVC standings for the second season in a row after finishing ahead of Burlington Central and Jacobs last fall. … Laas and Morawski earned sectional berths and were named to the All-FVC team. Laas earned All-Area honorable mention. Morawski was runner-up this summer in the McHenry County Junior Golf Association’s MCJGA girls senior division. … “We are excited about our team again this season,” Ageneau said.

Hampshire

Coach: Eric Samuelson (fourth season)

Last season: Fourth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Lorna Bachta, sr.; Lola Walsh, sr.; Jaina Farnam, jr.; Brookelynn Kehl, jr.; Kaylee Seo, jr.; Madison Bilek, so.; Maddie Franz, so.; Ava Janiec, so.; Madison Sawisch, so.

Key newcomers: Kendall Green, fr.; Jordyn Penkaty, fr.

Worth noting: The Whips graduated seven, including top golfer Lily Farnam, who earned All-Area second-team honors. Farnam won last year’s FVC Tournament with an 86 and was one of two sectional qualifiers for Hampshire. ... Seo also earned a sectional berth and tied for sixth at conference. … Seo, Jaina Farnam and Bachta scored at the FVC tournament. … “Coach [Hannah] Detiveaux and I are already starting to see some great connections between the girls,” Samuelson said. “This group is young but willing to work, and we look forward to their growth this season.”

Huntley

Coach: Lindsey Allen (first season)

Last season: FVC Tournament champion

Top returners: Aubrey Dingbaum, sr.; Maddie Sloan, jr.

Key newcomers: Cate Coalson, fr.; Kinsey Hayes, fr.; Mia Kenner, fr.

Worth noting: Allen takes over for Ann Christiansen, who coached the Red Raiders for 14 seasons. Last year’s Raiders won the FVC Tournament for the third time in the past four seasons but were second in the overall conference standings. That went to McHenry, which was perfect in FVC duals. Huntley took fourth at sectionals … Dingbaum earned All-Area second-team honors, finishing runner-up at the McHenry County Tournament with a 79 and tying for sixth at conference. She shot an 82 at regionals and was three shots short of a state berth at sectionals with an 85. Dingbaum and Sloan, also a sectional qualifier, earned All-FVC honors. … Huntley opened this season by taking first at the Belvidere Invite with a 376. … “We’re thrilled to start the season with our key returners and exciting new prospects,” Allen said. “The players have been working hard over the summer to improve their games and can’t wait to compete against other teams.”

Jacobs

Coach: Paul Anderson (third season)

Last season: Eighth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Kate Maurus, so.; Nicole Heims so.; Emma Skarosi, so.; Marley Skarosi, so.

Key newcomers: Natalie Zimmerman, fr.

Worth noting: The Golden Eagles will look to four sophomores and a freshman to lead the team in scoring after losing seniors Kayla Doetsch and Anya Piarowski to graduation. … Anderson is happy with the improvements he has seen since the end of last season. “Our team is young and has improved greatly from last year,” he said. “It is going to be a great season for us, getting to watch our girls continue to compete weekly.”

McHenry

Coach: Sean Sterner (11th season)

Last season: FVC Tournament runner-up, overall season champion

Top returners: Madison Donovan, sr.; Kilynn Axelson, jr.; Jennifer Henry, jr.; Ali Ahrens, sr.

Key newcomers: Emma Hertel, jr.; Abby Powers, so.

Worth noting: The Warriors were second at the FVC Tournament but won the conference title over Huntley with a perfect record in FVC duals. It was McHenry’s first conference championship since 2003. … Donovan was the FVC points champion and runner-up at the conference meet with an 87. She earned a Class 2A sectional berth for the third straight season. … Donovan, Axelson and Henry earned All-FVC honors. … “We’re excited about the potential of our newcomers, and the goal is to see growth from our younger players over the course of the season,” Sterner said. “Madison Donovan returns as our top golfer. She had a great summer and has a bright future ahead.”

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Jeanine Stantesly (fourth season)

Last season: Third at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Jenna Albanese, jr.; Grace Mertel, so.; Ella Giffin, sr.; Jaeda Gunter, jr.

Key newcomers: Natalie Barnes, sr.; Tori Wood, so.

Worth noting: Albanese earned All-Area second-team honors last year, taking third at conference with an 89 and finishing third overall in the end-of-season FVC points standings behind only McHenry’s Madison Donovan and Hampshire’s Lily Farnam. Albanese was a sectional qualifier and fell three shots short of qualifying for state. … Mertel was 13th at the conference meet as a freshman. She was the MCJGA Player of the Year this summer in the girls junior division. … The Wolves have placed among the top three teams at conference in each of the past two years. … “The Wolves should be competitive in every match we play,” Stantesly said. “Jenna Albanese and Grace Mertel have worked hard all summer to solidify their games. I’m looking forward to seeing our new golfers and our returning younger golfers continue to learn and grow. We have a great group of athletes. This should be a fun season.”

Kishwaukee River Conference

Johnsburg

Coach: Chris O’Niel (15th season)

Last season: KRC Tournament runner-up

Top returners: Mackenzie McQuiston, sr.; Lauren McQuiston, so.; Elle Konrad, sr.; Ann Moss, sr.

Key newcomers: Maddie Ten Bruin, jr.; Chloe Larson, fr.

Worth noting: The Skyhawks took runner-up at regionals to advance to sectionals as a team for the ninth consecutive season. … Johnsburg graduated its top golfer, Riley Klotz, an All-Area first-team selection who won the KRC championship with an 83 and was voted the KRC Girls Golfer of the Year. She tied for third at regionals with an 82 and qualified for the Class 1A state meet, where she took 45th with a score of 87-84–171. … Lauren McQuiston took seventh at the KRC Tournament, and Mackenzie McQuiston was eighth. … Johnsburg has 15 golfers in its program. The Skyhawks opened this season by placing third at the Wisconsin Badger Par 3 Invite. … “Very excited for the season,” O’Niel said. “Once again, we have a lot of great talent to replace, but our girls have been working hard in the offseason. We would love to compete for a conference title, but it won’t be easy with Marengo bringing back a lot of great players and adding two new teams [Plano and Sandwich to the KRC].”

Marengo

Coach: Chad Olson (sixth season)

Last season: KRC Tournament champion

Top returners: Cadence Leucht, sr.; Emma Leucht, sr.; Gabby Gieseke, jr.

Worth noting: Marengo won is first conference championship in program history, beating Johnsburg by three shots. The Indians had three of the top four individual scores, including Cadence Leucht, who was runner-up with a 95, and Emma Leucht, who took third with a 96. Gieseke took 10th. The Leuchts earned All-Area honorable mention. … Marengo took third behind St. Viator and Johnsburg at regionals to advance as a team. … This year’s team has six newcomers, with five freshmen and a sophomore. … Olson said the Indians are excited to defend their KRC crown with the goal of repeating as conference champions. … “I’m fortunate to have some really great players on this team who can lead the way,” Olson said.

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Rich Petska (first season)

Top returners: Alyssa Beres, jr.; Camryn Bowerman, jr.; Sofia Nagel, jr.; Emily Porreca, so.; Meadow Rosendahl, jr.

Key newcomers: Gracie Johnson, fr.; Emma Lindsey, fr.; Madelyn Peterie, fr.; Ava Strzalka, fr.

Worth noting: Petska takes over for Brandon Creason, who coached the Rockets for 14 seasons. Petska, a 1995 R-B graduate, previously coached Harvard’s boys golf team. He also will coach the boys basketball team at R-B, a position also formerly filled by Creason. … The Rockets, along with Harvard and Woodstock North co-op, didn’t have enough golfers to qualify for a team score at last year’s KRC Tournament. … Rosendahl missed qualifying for sectionals by one shot. … “I’m looking forward to helping the team grow their golf skills and their love for the game,” Petska said.

Chicagoland Christian Conference

Marian Central

Coach: Bryan Smith (first season)

Last season: None (independent schedule)

Top returners: Ella Notaro, sr.; Nina Notaro, jr.; Emma Weber, sr.; Ava Kleinschmidt, sr.

Key newcomers: Audrey Pascucci, fr.; Lucia Schneck, fr.

Worth noting: Smith takes over for Hannah Ogden, who coached the Hurricanes for two years. … Ella Notaro was fourth at the McHenry County Tournament with an 85 and shined in the postseason, tying for third at regionals with an 82 and ninth at sectionals with an 88, earning her first state berth. At the Class 1A state meet, she was 35th with a score of 86-78–164. … Nina Notaro, Ella’s younger sister, made it to sectionals as an individual and was named All-Area honorable mention. … “My motto for my inaugural season comes from one of my favorite golfers, Roy (Tin Cup) McAvoy: ‘Tempo is everything; perfection is unobtainable,’ ” Smith said. “This season, I’m looking forward to laying the foundations of a comprehensive program that honors faith, hard work and sportsmanship. As an educator, coach and golfer, my expectations are always high. I wholeheartedly expect to be coaching in October.”