BATTLE CREEK — Grace Slocum still has one more chance to bring home a state championship.
Although the Traverse City St. Francis junior couldn’t get the job done after holding a two-shot lead going into Saturday’s final round of the Division 4 varsity girls golf finals, Slocum will bring a wealth of experience with her when she takes her fourth and final crack at earning state gold next season. An opportunity for which she is no doubt already preparing.
After battling through rain, cold and a one-hour delay Friday, Slocum was in first place and looking primed and ready to win an individual championship at the Bedford Valley Golf Course in Battle Creek. But Slocum had a rare off day and did not tally a single birdie while recording an uncharacteristic eight bogeys in her final round Saturday.
The talented multi-sport athlete for the Gladiators ended with a two-day total of 155, seven shots behind three-time state champion Mia Melendez, to finish in fourth place. Slocum was tied for the lead last year but also stumbled a bit on the second day to finish third.
St. Francis head coach Craig Ardery said it was clear Slocum wasn’t happy with her performance, but he still feels the junior is one of the best golfers in the state.
“Next year is her final chance to be high school state champion, and that’s going to be a big part of her focus,” Ardery said. “She’s done everything else. She’s won everything else. She just has that left.”
Melendez, a junior from Ann Arbor Greenhills, overcame a four-shot deficit with a 3-under 69 to record a two-day mark of 148. Brooklyn Columbia Central’s Logan Bentley, also a junior, finished two shots back at 150 after a 1-under round of 71 to earn runner-up honors for the second straight year. Lansing Catholic’s Sophie Hauser was third at 152 after firing a 74 on Saturday.
Lansing Catholic earned the overall team state championship with a combined score of 705. Kalamazoo Christian was a distant second at 731 followed by Brooklyn Columbia Central just a shot back in third at 732.
The Gladiators set a new high watermark for the varsity girls golf program, finishing sixth overall with a 775. Their previous best finish was 10th place, which happened twice including last year. Ardery said this 2023 St. Francis squad is setting the bar for future teams.
“This is the best team I’ve ever had,” Ardery said. “This is the best team the school has ever had.”
Along with Slocum’s 155, the Gladiators got scoring performances from Mary Kate Carroll at 190, Avery Frederick at 203, and Laurel Walter at 235.
The Charlevoix Rayders finished 12th overall at 878 followed closely by East Jordan in 13th with a final two-day tally of 881.
Scoring for Charlevoix were Avery Kita with a 188, Sarah Pletcher with a 216, Emma Meadows with a 231, and Macey McKeown with a 243. East Jordan was paced by Hannah Fortune with a 203, Lila Kelly with a 218, Olivia Maher with a 226, and Maddy Bearden with a 234.
Both Elk Rapids’ Hope Hoedel and Grayling’s Jessica Campbell qualified as individuals. Hoedel ended the tournament in 16th place with a 184, and Campbell was 18th with a 187.
GIRLS GOLF STATE FINALS
Petoskey finishes 10th in Division 2
EAST LANSING — Marley Spence and Riley Barr helped lead Petoskey to a 10th-place finish in the Division 2 varsity girls golf state finals Saturday as each ended the two-day tournament with a 168 to tie for 31st individually.
Spence, a senior, shot an 86 on Saturday while Barr, a sophomore, carded an 87. Their near-identical efforts combined with Sara Hasse’s 184 and Emma Berg’s 185 resulted in a combined score of 701 for Petoskey. The Mercy Marlins took the team state championship with a 636 over the two days. The individual championship went to Coopersville’s Lauren Davis, who finished the finals with a 4-under 140.
Cadillac’s Grace Drabik, who qualified as an individual, finished 40th with a two-day total of 174.
BOYS TENNIS STATE FINALS
Gladiators earn D4 bronze; Glen Lake 4th
HOLLAND — Northern Michigan was well represented in the Division 4 boys tennis state championships as Traverse City St. Francis took third place with 19 points and Glen Lake finished in fourth with 16 points.
The Gladiators and Lakers saw plenty of action on day two of the tournament Saturday as St. Francis’ Owen Jackson — a two-time singles state champion — made it to the semifinals in one-singles where he lost to Ann Arbor Greenhills 3-6, 6-0, 3-6.
In two-singles, St. Francis’ Chris Bobrowski also made it to the semifinals where he also lost to Greenhills, falling 6-2 and 6-4.
Glen Lake’s Hawthorn Sutherland reached the semifinals in three-singles after wins against Goodrich (6-0, 6-1) and Pontiac Notre Dame (6-1, 6-0).
Eli Schmude and David Ansley had a shot a state glory in one-singles, but the duo fell to Greenhills in the championship match after defeating Glen Lake’s Tyler Bixby and David Best in the semifinals, 6-4 and 6-4.
The four-doubles pairing of Quinten Musgrave and Carson Poole also battled for a state championship. And they also lost to Greenhills in the finals, 6-2 and 6-2, after defeating Glen Lake’s Andrew Schopieray and William Krusel in the semis, 7-6(3) and 6-2.
In three-doubles, Casey Jackson and Brady Thelen made it to the semifinals where they lost in three sets to Grand Rapids West Catholic, 3-6, 6-4 and 3-6.
Trojans face early exit in D2
GRAND RAPIDS — Only the three-doubles tandem of Finn Fisher and Asher Petersen was able to advance to the quarterfinals of the Division 2 varsity boys tennis state championships for Traverse City Central.
The Trojans finished in 13th place with seven points, ending their campaign on the season’s final day and continuing the program’s consistent presence in the postseason.
Fisher and Petersen used a first-round bye and then defeated Portage Central in the second round, coming back after a 3-6 first-set loss to take the final two sets, 6-1 and 6-3. But top-seeded Birmingham Seaholm ended Fisher and Petersen’s day with a 6-2, 6-2 win in the quarters.
Others picking up wins for the Trojans included Alex Lamphier in two-singles over Trenton (7-5, 6-1), the two-doubles duo of Caden Kowal and Sam Galoci-Sandin over Gibraltar Carlson (6-0, 6-2), and the four-doubles team of Oliver Schrock and Lander Coonrod over Warren De La Salle (6-2, 6-1).
Northmen finish 9th in D3
KALAMAZOO — Petoskey contended for a Division 3 state championship early, but Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Detroit Country Day pulled away as the Northmen finished ninth after Saturday concluded.
Petoskey scored 10 points behind wins from Elijah Rindfusz in one-singles over Fowlerville (6-0, 6-0), Luke Washington in two-singles over Stevensville Lakeshore (6-0, 6-0), Colin Brantly in three-singles over Mason (6-2, 6-1), and Brian Tang in four-singles over Haslett (6-3, 6-2).
Also scoring for the Northmen were Luke Bailey and Max Faulkner in one-doubles over Hamilton (6-3, 6-1), Caleb Knickerbocker and Martin Howard in two-doubles over Auburn Hills Avondale (6-3, 6-2), and Cole Willison and Clark Tarachas in three-doubles over Haslet (6-3, 6-0).
BOYS SOCCER DISTRICT FINALS
Marquette 2 (SO)
Petoskey 1
UP NEXT: The Northmen end their season at 10-9-3.
Fremont 2
Manistee 1
UP NEXT: The Mariners end their season at 11-6-2.