Wildcats, Cavs capture titles

Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry

The Minster boys and Coldwater girls completed successful defenses of their respective Midwest Athletic Conference golf championships as both teams won their conference tournaments on Saturday.

Minster, which finished 9-0 in league play, won the boys tournament on their home course at Arrowhead. The Wildcats finished the rainy day with a final score of 331 to repeat as conference champs. Coldwater and Delphos St. John's tied for second in the tournament with matching scores of 353, but the Cavaliers took the second-place points via the fifth-golfer tiebreaker. Parkway finished fourth with a 356 with Marion Local fifth at 366. St. Henry (373), Versailles (381), New Bremen and Fort Recovery (386) and New Knoxville (471) rounded out the leaderboard.

St. John's Jack Gerker was tournament medalist in firing a 1-over 73, allowing him enough points to secure Golfer of the Year honors based on points earned in the regular season and tournament. Marion Local's Marcus Rethman was second with a 77 with Minster's Louis Magoto taking third with a 79.

Coldwater was led by Hayden Beougher's 80 and Ben Giere's 87. Caden Slusher led Parkway with an 81 with Roman Leszinske firing an 86. Cole Brunswick added an 80 for Marion Local. Sam Koesters shot an 87 for St. Henry with Ben Romer and Ty Post each shooting a 95. New Bremen picked up a 94 from Ben Wells and a 96 from Josh Bensman. Fort Recovery was led by Cole Muhlenkamp's 92 and Eli Lennartz's 96.

The postseason gets underway for the boys on Tuesday. The majority of the area teams will travel to Colonial Golfers Club in Lima for the Division III sectional. Coldwater heads to Moose Landing in Ottawa for the Division II sectional.

GIRLS

While the boys were braving the elements at Arrowhead, the girls were battling through at the Mercer County Elks. Coldwater, playing on their home course, successfully defended their conference title after winning the MAC for the first time in school history last season with a final round of 360 to go along with their 8-0 regular season record to claim the outright title. Versailles was eight strokes back at 368 with Minster third with a 392 to allow the teams to share the overall second place. St. Henry was fourth with a 397 with Marion Local (431), Fort Recovery (435), New Bremen (442) and Parkway (465) rounding out the scorecard. Delphos St. John's did not field a full team.

Coldwater's Jordan Hemmelgarn fired a 78 to earn medalist honors for the tournament. Versailles' Ella Porter was runner-up with an 83. Fort Recovery's Jalyn Bruns finished third with an 84, which helped her go over the top in overall points to earn Golfer of the Year honors for a second consecutive season.

Natalie Ashbaugh added a 91 for Coldwater. Minster picked up a 91 from Layne Voisard and a 92 from Ashley Meyer. Dana Rindler led St. Henry with an 89 with Tori Staugler and Courtney Clune each shooting a 102. Aliyah Arling led Marion with a 102 with Lizzy Homan shooting a 105. Kim Hart added a 116 for Fort Recovery with Macy Brunswick adding a 117. Parkway's Madison Louth shot a 109 with Emily Clutter adding a 111.

The Division II girls sectional takes place on Tuesday at Celina Lynx.

All-MAC Golf Teams:

The 2021 All-Midwest Athletic Conference Boys and Girls Golf Teams, as determined by points earned during regular season conference matches and in the conference tournament.

BOYS

Golfer of the Year: Jack Gerker (St. John's).
First Team

Jack Gerker (St. John's), Louis Magoto (Minster), Hayden Beougher (Coldwater), Sam Koesters (Coldwater), Collin Feathers (St. John's), Marcus Rethman (Marion Local), Roman Leszinske (Parkway), Mitchell Bornhorst (Minster), Cole Brunswick (Marion Local), Justin Heitkamp (Versailles), Caden Slusher (Parkway), Nathan Beair (Minster).
Second Team

Ben Giere (Coldwater), Ben Romer (St. Henry), Jack Meyer (Minster), Keegan May (Versailles), Keegan Bruggeman (Coldwater), Ray Purdy (Minster), Caden Wright (St. John's) Keaton Bruns (Coldwater).
Honorable Mention

Cole Muhlenkamp (Fort Recovery), Issac LeFevre (Fort Recovery), Hunter Bruns (Parkway), Gabe Schaaf (Parkway), Andrew McNaughton (New Bremen), Josh Rindler (St. Henry), Ty Post (St. Henry).

GIRLS

Golfer of the Year: Jalyn Bruns (Fort Recovery).
First Team

Jalyn Bruns (Fort Recovery), Layne Voisard (Minster), Jordan Hemmelgarn (Coldwater), Dana Rindler (St. Henry), Ella Porter (Versailles), Lindsay Cotner (Versailles), Ashley Meyer (Minster), Grace Buschur (Coldwater), Katie Heitkamp (Minster), Aliyah Arling (Marion Local).
Second Team

Laney Finke (Coldwater), Natalie Ashbaugh (Coldwater), Abbie Burden (New Bremen), Allison Hays (New Bremen), Megan Ritter (New Bremen), Morgan Guggenbiller (Marion Local), Brianna Post (St. Henry), Emily Clutter (Parkway).
Honorable Mention

Kaylee Davis (Versailles), Emma Garrison (Versailles), Tori Staugler (St. Henry), Lauren Jay (Versailles), Courtney Clune (St. Henry), Madison Louth (Parkway), Lauren Wietholter (Versailles), Lydia Kelch (Marion Local).