The Trenton Lady Bulldog golf team got their first taste of tournament action Thursday as they traveled to Lancaster for the Schuyler County Golf Tournament. Trenton’s young squad posted a respectable score of 400, placing them second in the seven-team field. Kirksville took the top spot with a team score of 374 and Brookfield’s mark of 403 was third best.
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“I thought for a young team we performed really well,” Coach Jeremy Austin said. “Our experienced girls went out and provided good leadership and they helped the younger girls get their feet underneath them.”
Chandler Wilson led the Lady Bulldogs, shooting a score of 90. The score was the second best of the tournament behind only medalist Chelsea Clark of Kirksville, who shot an 87. Wilson shot a 48 on the front nine and carded a 42 on the back to arrive at her team-leading score.
Hannah Griffin finished in the top five individually, shooting a 94. Griffin put up a 47 on both the front and back nine to reach her final tally.
“Chandler had an excellent day out there, shooting a 90,” Austin said. “She really played well and was consistent. She should be happy with that. Hannah played well, too. Those two girls are definitely our leaders this year and we want them to continue doing that and to keep getting better.”
Sophomores Haley Purkapile and Katie Lenhart scored 105 and 110 respectively in their first varsity tournament experience ever.
“Our younger girls really made adjustments going from playing nine holes to going out and playing 18 holes and walking all of it and worrying whether or not they are going to bring you a lunch. There is a lot more to it than just golf and I think they maintained their composure and took a big step in the right direction.”
The two marks posted by Purkapile and Lenhart rounded out Trenton’s team total of 400. Purkapile finished with a 54 on the front nine and a 51 on the back, while Lenhart carded a 55 on both the front and back nines. Olivia Helmandollar, seeing her first varsity action of the season, shot a 66 on the front and a 63 on the back for a final score of 129.
The Lady Bulldogs will return to action on Wednesday when they play in yet another tournament. Trenton will tee off in the Richmond Tournament, where they will get the opportunity to golf alongside some very large schools from across the state.