Daniels' 78 leads runaway Penn girls golf team to 15th regional title

DEMOTTE — For the second straight season, the Penn High School girls golf team is headed to the Indiana High School Athletic Association state finals.

But this time, coach Katie Bella’s Lady Kingsmen, ranked No. 12 in the final Indiana High School Golf Coaches Association, want to improve on last season’s 13^th-place finish in the 18-team field.

Once again, it was a senior who led the way as Penn totaled 327 to win the Lake Central Regional at the par-72, 5,056-yard Sandy Pines Golf Club by 19 strokes over Kankakee Valley and 28 over third-place Chesterton.

But this time, it wasn’t Penn’s No. 1, Northern Indiana Conference most valuable player Delaney Wade, the Wofford College-bound medalist for four straight years in the sectional.

All-NIC: Penn's Wade wins fourth conference MVP

No, this time it was senior Jill Daniels, Penn’s No. 4 player who shot a six-over-par 78 to edge Wade by a stroke and sophomore teammate Scarlett Biever (No. 2) by four. Sophomore No. 3 Clare Tobin shot 88 and sophomore No. 5 Lilly Norris totaled 101.

Related: Northridge girls golf qualifies for state finals

Daniels’ round of 78, which included seven bogeys and a single birdie, tied her for third overall with Winamac’s Bianca Huizar and South Bend Saint Joseph sophomore Marley Dunham. Rochester’s Olivia Bradley won medalist honors with an even-par 72 which was four shots better than her teammate, Ava Thomas.

“Jill was on fire today; it was really exciting to watch her,” Bella said. “She was locked in from the beginning. Her head was in the right place, her swing was in the right place.”

Wade had a pair of double bogeys at the second and third holes in an outward six-over 42 before she bogeyed Nos. 11 and 12 and finished strong, making a birdie at the 17^th hole for an inward 37 and a total of 79.

“It was pretty nerve-wracking today,” Bella said. “We had a rough start — our first 6-8 holes were not great. It was close halfway through. But we know we’re a back-nine team. We finished really strong, making a nice comeback on the back nine. We know what we need to work on.”

The regional title was the 15^th for the Kingsmen and the second in Bella’s tenure. When they travel to Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel for Friday’s first round, the Kingsmen will be seeking a fifth state title. Penn won its first state title under Terry Tulchinsky in 1994 and then added three more under Jim Garrett (2002, 2004, 2005). The 36-hole state finals conclude Saturday at Prairie View.

The Kingsmen were the only Tribune-area team in the field to qualify for state. Coach Theresa Fry’s Saint Joseph squad finished eighth with a 378 total but will be represented at the state finals individually by No. 1 player Dunham. The medalist at the Northern Indiana Conference tournament, sophomore Dunham shot a six-over 78 and then birdied the first hole in a sudden-death playoff with Winamac’s Huizar.

“Marley was so dialed in today with her focus,” Fry said. “You could see it in her face. And she was so prepared. We’ve been talking all week about each hole and placement. She took copious notes. She was really dialed in today.”

LAKE CENTRAL GIRLS GOLF REGIONAL

DEMOTTE – Results from Saturday’s Indiana High School Athletic Association Girls Golf Regional hosted by Lake Central High School at the par-72, 5,056-yard Sandy Pines Golf Club:

Qualifying teams

PENN (327): Delaney Wade 79, Scarlett Biever 82, Clare Tobin 88, Jill Daniels 78, Lilly Norris 101.

KANKAKEE VALLEY (346): Brynlee DeBoard 82, Lillian Van Loon 89, Allison Rushmore 81, Katelyn Bakker 96, Avarie Rondeau 94.

CHESTERTON (355): Maddie Soffin 84, Kristin McCoy 81, Alize Lawrence 97, Peighton Metcalf 93, Chris Driscoll 106.

Qualifying individuals

72: Olivia Bailey (Rochester)

76: Ava Thomas (Rochester)

78: Marley Dunham (South Bend Saint Joseph) (won playoff with birdie on first hole)

Medalist

72: Olivia Bailey (Rochester)

Non-qualifying teams

ROCHESTER (356): Olivia Bailey 72, Ava Thomas 76, Payton Moore 91, Alexis Haughs 117, Ella McCarter 124.

LAKE CENTRAL (357): Allie Huppenthal 92, Macy Urbanski 82, Claire Sawyer 82, Peyton Schilling 122, Victoria Schilling 101.

VALPARAISO (366): Norah Rossmann 89, Faith Lee 87, Victoria Magnuson 89, Zoe Cusson 101, Joanna Calinski 101.

MUNSTER (377): Hannah Ingersoll DQ, Josephine Zangrilli 84, Alexis Schmidt 89, Catherine Stephan 95, Natalia Jeknic 109.

SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (378): Marley Dunham 78, Reese Hull 99, Margaux Hannewyk 111, Sydney Schmeltz 101, Isabella Jeffrey 100.

LAPORTE (381): Kamryn Kubik 89, Molly Menne 96, Dana McQuarters 115, Kennedy Riley 95, Anna Menne 101.

NEW PRAIRIE (399): Jayden Flagg 88, Jenna Bauman 101, Kerrigan Evans 101, Hannah Kole 109, Emily Snodgrass 117.

ANDREAN (407): Elizabeth Voliva 90, Peyton Mori 103, Margaret Voliva 97, Samantha White 121, Payton Down 117.

LOGANSPORT (440): Sophia Kay 84, Isabel Lundy 93, Natalie Graham 139, Maeda Bradbury 144, Katelyn Barber 124.

PORTAGE (456): Ava Melendez 90, Kayle Bunton 106, Paige Johnson 133, Jordyn Torres 127, Bre Reed 138.

MICHIGAN CITY MARQUETTE CATHOLIC (473): Madison Najar 106, Alexandria Shoppa 109, Lexi Barr 126, Alyse Thomas 132, Jennavieve Rearick 143.

SOUTH BEND ADAMS (no team score): Katherine Swain 92, Kamryn Dubie 143, Audrey Fremeau 110, Willa Kricheff DNS, Keira Kinney DNS.

Non-qualifying individuals

78: Bianca Huizar (Winamac) (lost in playoff)

94: Jenna Noort (Crown Point)

96: Emma Kulak (Crown Point), Carly Drone (Rensselaer)

97: Mia McKaig (Pioneer)

98: Evie McCormick (Elkhart)

100: Elle Mowry (Hanover Central)

101: Lucie Tinervia (Mishawaka Marian), Alyssa Hoenig (Boone Grove)

104: Celia Florkowski (Mishawaka Marian)

108: Brianna Wolff (John Glenn), Joie Montague (Knox)

111: Natalie White (Michigan City)

118: Kendyl Chevalier (Wheeler)

124: Naomi Garcia (Hammond Bishop Noll)ReplyForward

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn wins IHSAA girls golf Lake Central Regional at Sandy Pines