MARYSVILLE As the first four M-P girls checked in after nine holes, the Tomahawks looked on pace for just an average performance.
Then, the No. 5 and No. 6 golfers, sophomore Sara Rott and senior Capriela Brown, returned with 19 Stableford points each to elevate the M-P golf team to a season-best 82-point score. The finish gave Marysville, the hosts, a four-point edge for third place over Stanwood as five teams competed at Cedarcrest Golf Course April 19.
Oak Harbor and Lake Stevens tied for first with 92 teams points each, but each assembled their finish in different ways. Oak Harbor garnering both the two highest and two lowest individual performances Brittany Loreng had 28 points and Anndria Sutler 32, earning the latter medalist honors. On the other hand, a well-rounded Lake Stevens team averaged 17 points each.
Browns 19-point score was her personal best, said M-P head coach Jaci Legore Hodgins.
A stroke of good luck helped Rott early in her game.
Sara, on the third hole, birdied out of the sand trap, which was a big success, Legore Hodgins said. She had a sandy birdie, which means she actually came out of the sand and into the hole, which was awesome.
Until Rott and Brown came in, junior Tierany Winston led the pack for M-P with a 17-point day and a strong week in invitationals at Burlington, April 16, and Stanwood, April 17.
Ive done OK, Winston said modestly when asked about her week. Ive kind of fluctuated a lot. Weve been busy this week, so were getting tired, getting to the point where we want to break down.
I played a game Tuesday and got a 16. That was kind of one of those tiring days, she added, saying her final score that day came as a surprise to her.
Winston credited her finishes to keeping a positive attitude, which was sustained by shooting a birdie on the seventh hole. In the lower points, she reminds herself that she enjoys golf and sucks it up.
Legore Hodgins said that a positive attitude is going to become even more important to the girls as they start playing 18-hole games instead of the usual nine.
I think it will be hard for some of the girls who arent experienced, said Winston, a three-year veteran of the Tommies golf team. It will be double the sucking it up.