Heart River take bronze at state with two All-State golfers
Sep. 28—DICKINSON — Heart River capped the 2023 season with a commendable third place finish at the State Class B Girls Tournament on Tuesday, Sept. 26th. Though they went into the competition with a desire for a championship, early challenges would see them playing from behind.
Sophomore Megan Robb played a pivotal role in keeping their aspirations alive with a strong performance on the first day. Her sister and senior Molly Robb also contributed greatly on the second day, keeping them on the heels of Kindred and Oak Grove. However, the gap between them and the top prize was far too wide. Both sisters earned All-State placements.
While bronze doesn't have the same weight as gold, it was a well-merited outcome for the resilient Cougars. Heart River's head coach Kirby Robb was boastful in their overall performance, saying that they tried their best and left it all on the course.
Heart River's team score of 690 was 17 points behind the first place tie between Oak Grove and Kindred. It also gave them a comfortable 35-point lead over the fourth place finisher, Bottineau.
In the first round, the Cougars scored 351, led by Megan Robb. She absolutely soared with four birdies and finishing 7-over. At the end of the first day she was in a three-way tie for fourth with Sylvie Brantner, an 8th grader from Oak Grove and Des Lacs-Burlington's freshman Laila Christianson. Their shared position suggests they will be formidable competitors in the coming years.
Megan landed in sixth place when all was said and done, sharing it with Brantner with a score of 160.
The second round saw Molly Robb take the lead for Heart River, displaying a remarkable bounce back from day one, cutting her score by 10 strokes. Her phenomenal 77 on day two, resulted in a tournament score of 166, which secured her at ninth in the state to conclude her high school career. This was by no means an easy task, Molly worked her way into the top 10 spot, after finishing 19th in the first round.
Jaci Reisenauer also performed better as the tournament progressed, securing a birdie on hole 6 in the second round. Her commendable top-24 placement was captured with a score of 182. Junior Grace Arthaud rounded out the team's score and was the only other Heart River Cougar to go 1-under on a hole in the first round.
Freshman Taylor Karsky was able to break 100 in the second round, reducing her strokes by 17 from day one. She excelled on hole 12, completing the par 5 hole in just four strokes. Isabelle Haller was on the cusp of breaking 100 on both days of the tournament, but fell just short. As a freshman getting her first taste of state competition, she will certainly be on the hunt for the savory taste of first place victory in the future, as will the rest of the Cougars, with Molly Robb being the sole senior.
Hazen and Bowman County finished at the bottom of the table at 17th and 18th respectively.
Hazen's underclassmen led the team. Freshman Lexus Gerving finished as their No. 1 with a score of 192, and their two and three were sophomores Brittanie Kaley (217) and Mattea Hysjulien (223). The Bulldogs' Olivia Welch led with a score of 195. Gracie Ruggles and Arianna Johnson fought hard to stay in the top 100, finishing 94th and 98th respectively.
