Dexter's Manning Takes Next Step, Walker Steps In to Key Mercy 3-Peat
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2024
ALLENDALE – Farmington Hills Mercy brought a senior-laden team with extensive experience to this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final.
However, one senior in particular made the biggest difference during Saturday’s closing round at The Meadows at Grand Valley State.
Senior Emily Walker provided a major contribution in helping Mercy complete a three-peat as the Marlins fended off a late comeback from runner-up Dexter to win by five strokes with a two-day total of 677.
Seniors Maeve Casey and Lila Polakowski led the Marlins as a consistent tandem at the top of the lineup, placing fourth and 20th, respectively, on the individual leaderboard. But Watson, who didn’t play on Friday, proved to be the unsung hero with a second-round 83, the team’s second-best score of the final round and her career-low.
“We have a mix of players, so today we inserted Emily Walker and she had the score of her life,” Mercy coach Vicky Kowalski said. “And that’s why we’re standing here with the three-peat.”
“If she didn’t shoot the round of her life today, then we wouldn't be standing here with a win,” Polakowski added. “We are so thankful that she pulled through here today and continued to support everyone else.”
Casey’s fourth place individual finish came from rounds of 73 and 79. She and Polakowski concluded their careers with a fourth-place team finish as freshmen and three straight wins at the Finals.
“It feels amazing to three-peat, but I’m really proud of the team for battling through the adversity that we had to experience on the course today,” Casey said. “But we got it done, and I’ve had some great experiences the last four years with this team. We’ve meshed really well on and off the course.”
Polakowski finished with a two-day 169, while senior Macy Morphew shot 179 and sophomore Megan Guerrera had a 186.
“It was a crazy day today,” Kowalski said. “The scores were bouncing up and down, and girls were having their good holes and bad holes and at one point we were down by one.
“And then Lowell kinda faded, but then Dexter shot lights out today. We are very fortunate to be able to do this three-peat, and it’s a great team. I've enjoyed coaching these young ladies.”
Mercy led by eight strokes over Lowell after the first round.
“I was feeling pretty good because we still had a lead early, and it got iffy, but I had all the confidence in the world in them and I knew they could do this,” Kowalski said. “They really wanted it, and they came through in the end.”
Polakowski said the team was confident despite the slew of others chasing them.
“We were a little worried because there were a lot of good teams here, but we knew we had the potential,” she said. “We felt like we had the opportunity to win it again, and we had positive vibes coming in.”
Dexter junior Avery Manning claimed the medalist honor with a 1-under-par 141. She finished ahead of Spring Lake’s Zoe Dull, who shot 146.
Manning fired a 3-under-par 69 on Friday and followed with an even-par 72. She placed runner-up at last year’s Final.
“If I came in second last year, then I can’t drop, right?,” Manning said with a small grin. “As a team we knew we had a chance to win, but individually I knew I had to have it. I just tried my best, I didn’t look at the leaderboard at all and I just went with the flow.
“It was just two great rounds overall. I think being able to do well on the same holes as the first day and to be able to tie my score or do better on those holes was important.”
Manning led by four strokes after the opening round.
“I told myself that if I maintained where I was then everything would work out, and it did,” Manning said. “My short game, especially my putting, and my approach shots were key for me.”
Dexter, which entered the final round in third place and 14 strokes back, posted its best finish since winning back-to-back Finals titles in the spring and fall of 2007.
“I think the girls did an amazing job,” said Dreadnaughts coach Greg Palkowksi, whose team placed seventh last year. “They stayed focused the entire 36 holes, and to play like they did today and come back from (Friday) and make up that difference was amazing. I just wanted them to go out and play and have fun and shoot the best they can. It was fun to watch.”
In addition to Manning, Dexter was led by junior Millie Triesdell (174) and freshman Maddy Manning (175).
PHOTOS (Top) Dexter’s Avery Manning sends an approach shot during Saturday’s second round at The Meadows. (Middle) Farmington Hills Mercy’s Macy Morphew watches one of her putts roll toward the hole. (Below) A competitor launches a shot from the sand. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Lutheran North Ace, Cranbrook Kingswood Complete Title Climbs
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
October 17, 2021
EAST LANSING – Lauren Timpf came up a little short of her lofty goals at last year’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Girls Golf Final. The Macomb Lutheran North sophomore was not going to be denied this weekend at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West.
Same went for the seasoned Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood team in its fourth-straight trip to the Finals.
Timpf wrapped up medalist honors, while Cranbrook Kingswood completed its team-championship mission on a chilly, windy Saturday.
After she fired an eye-popping 6-under 66 Friday, Timpf followed with a solid 1-over 73 Saturday in challenging conditions en route to a 14-shot victory over the rest of the field. Meanwhile, Cranbrook Kingswood collected its first Finals title since 2006 by shooting 694 for a six-stroke victory over runner-up Grosse Ile.
“I was hoping to go a little bit lower – that was my goal coming into today; really, to get it to double-digits under par was my goal,” said Timpf, who missed a playoff for medalist honors in last year’s Final by one shot when she bogeyed her final hole.
“It was tough conditions today, but I didn’t play my best. I let some shots get away, had a double out there. It was just a little bit tougher today.”
Whitehall’s Karli VanDuinen was runner-up at 153 (78-75), followed by Grosse Ile’s Lily Bargamian in third (154), Grand Rapids South Christian’s Ashley Thomasma fourth (160) and Freeland’s Averie Pumford fifth (162).
Cranbrook Kingswood’s Natasha Samsonov (sixth, 163), Bloomfield Hills Marian’s Ashley Carroll and Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Ava Wisinski (tied for seventh, 165), Grand Rapids Christian’s Sara Muir (ninth, 167) and Ada Forest Hills Eastern’s Sophie Skoog (10th, 169) rounded out the top 10.
In the final team standings of the two-day tourney, South Christian placed third (708), while 2019 and 2020 champ Marian finished fourth (729). Grand Rapids Catholic Central took fifth (738).
“For my seniors that played today, this was their fourth state (finals tournament). They played in it as freshmen. … For them, they weren’t nervous,” said Cranes coach John Minnich, whose last three teams finished fifth, eighth and fourth at the Division 3 Finals. Three of the five players in this year’s lineup were seniors who were plenty familiar with playing at the championship level.
Cranbrook Kingswood also had finished Division 3 runner-up from 2012-14.
In addition to Samsonov, seniors Ashley Cong and Katherine Li shot 175 and 186, respectively, to help Cranbrook Kingswood. Sophomores Sienna Ilitch and Mackenzie Behnke posted 163 and 189, in that order.
Nobody was going to give Timpf a run for her money, but for Cranbrook Kingswood, there was strength in numbers. A tough schedule throughout the season, competing against the likes of eventual Division 1 champ Northville, perennial power Marian and Division 2 fourth-place Farmington Hills Mercy, had the Cranes prepared to win Division 3 this time.
“It was one of those things where I told them, ‘You know, you guys could probably have a pretty special team. Stay together, keep working at it, keep playing,’ and they did,” Minnich said. “They put in the time, they put in the work and, you know, it was a great season.
“The program is kind of on an up-tick. (Cranbrook) girls want to play, they’re excited about playing golf,” Minnich said.
Timpf has been playing golf since a young age.
And she’s quite familiar with the Forest Akers courses. In July, Timpf won the 43rd Michigan Girls’ Junior State Amateur Championship at Forest Akers East.
In the summer of 2020, Timpf gave eventual Michigan Women’s Amateur champion Anna Kramer a run before falling to her in the quarterfinals, 1-up, at Forest Akers West.
“(Last year’s Finals finish) did drive me because I knew that I could have won that tournament. I mean, I bogeyed the last hole to miss the playoff,” Timpf said. “And since we couldn’t take flagsticks out (last year), two my 3-footers hit the (stick) and bounced out.”
Everything about Timpf’s game was working Friday, and putts were dropping.
It was more of a challenge Saturday.
“I mean, yesterday I felt like I played great – everything was working together, putts were dropping,” Timpf said. “Today, not as many, but I did get away with a few. I missed a few 3-footers.”
PHOTOS Macomb Lutheran North’s Lauren Timpf follows a shot during Friday’s first round. (Middle) Cranbrook’s Natasha Samsonov tees off during first-day play. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)