GRANITE CITY - The Edwardsville girls golf team placed five of its six golfers in the top ten, led by Nicole Johnson and Riley Lewis' two-over-par 73, to win the large school division of the Madison County championships, played on Tuesday afternoon at The Legacy Golf Course in Granite City.
The Tigers shot a team score of 308 to take the crown, with Alton placing second at 346, Triad coming in third at 376, Collinsville came in fourth with a score of 388, Highland was fifth with a score of 407 and the host Warriors were sixth with a score of 446.
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It was a very stellar performance by the Tigers in their first competitive tournament of the new season, and head coach Libby Koonce was very pleased at what she saw.
"So, first real tournament out, I think that we played great," Koonce said. "Putting up a 308 is an awesome score, having three scores under 80 is fantastic, and all I could hope for. They played great today."
In addition to Johnson and Lewis, freshman Caitlyn Dicks was fourth with a 79, Grace Daech finished sixth with an 83, and Sydney Weedman was seventh, shooting an 85. Riley Burns tied for 12th with Collinsville's Abby Fister, with both shooting 94. It was a great performance overall for the team.
"Yeah, they put up the scores," Koonce said. "To have a freshman shoot below 80 in her first round out kind of reminds me of a Nicole Johnson there. So having Caitlyn come in right behind her, and put up that 79 is pretty fantastic. Grace Daech is playing Grace golf, which is what I want her to do. She stays consistent like this all season, I'll be thrilled. And then, Riley Lewis and Nicole shooting 73s, I mean, they tied all last year, might as well keep tying now," she said with a hearty laugh. "And that's a good problem to have."
The most important thing for Edwardsville is consistency, and it's exactly what Koonce and her team had all afternoon.
"Absolutely," Koonce said. "Consistency. They're still putting up low 70s, Grace is in the low 80s, Sydney Weedman dropped her score down to an 85; I'm thrilled with that. So, I think we're going to have a good season."
The Tigers are hoping to keep things going in their next tournament, the Belleville West Invitational on Saturday, but as was established at the Alton Scramble/Shamble Kickoff event, the opportunity to have a season and compete with all the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic is very much welcome.
"Every tournament we play in is a gift right now," Koonce said. "So we're going to play every tournament like it's a gift, and just be happy we're out here playing golf."
The plan is for the Tigers to play as well as they can, and let the proverbial chips fall where they may.
"When it come to this COVID stuff, that's where we're at," Koonce said.
