08 June 2014

Girls Golf: Continued improvement

Low-scorer Brianna Swenson
Inclement weather played havoc with the schedule but the Tigers still managed to show improvement during the 2014 season.

Though it slipped a spot in the Missota Conference rankings from last spring, Farmington rallied to place eighth out of 12 teams at the Section 1AAA Championships, its highest finish in recent years.

"Our team score dropped from around 460 to 400 over the season," coach Jon Stock said. "This is a competitive score in our conference.

"Overall, it was a great year for Tiger golf. The girls all improved and had fun doing it. Though our numbers were down a bit from last year, our scores improved."

Nine players earned varsity letters for their play, including just two seniors: Brianna Swenson and Abby Monroe.

Underclassmen letterwinners included junior Jessica Olsen and Kaitlin O'Connell and sophomores Amanda Hansmann, Sidney Comes, Brook McConnell, Emma Sullivan and Kassandra Kruckeberg.

Swenson and Comes capped their 2104 seasons by making the cut for the final round of Section 1AAA individual play.

Stock said his program is working on two things to continue its upward trend: add more younger players to the mix and get more girls to play golf over the summer months.

That will be important because Farmington will be moving to the South Suburban Conference next fall. Stock sees the move as a competitive challenge that will also have some immediate benefits.

"We will get to play courses closer to home," he said, "so the girls will need to miss less school. They are excited for that."