FORT ATKINSON – Darlington juniors Kinsey Gould and Alexi Wagner locked up the third and fourth individual sectional berths at the WIAA Division 2 Jefferson Regional Meet after carding identical rounds of 106 at the Koshkonong Mounds Golf Course in Fort Atkinson on Thursday, Oct. 1.
Gould opened with a 56 on the front nine and followed with a 50 on the back nine to total a 106 for her 18-hole round to qualify for sectionals for the first time, while Wagner started off with a 57 and closed with a 49 to tie her teammate for 18th-place overall at the regional and also earn her first sectional berth.
“Both of the girls deserved to move on. They worked hard all summer and practiced a lot. They are always looking to improve and it shows,” said Darlington girls’ golf coach Thomas Donar. “I was a little worried somebody else would come in with a better score and put them in a tie for 4th, which would have meant a playoff between them for the last spot. I was happy to avoid that situation and to take them both to sectionals on Tuesday.”
The Lady Redbirds finished seventh overall as a team at the nine team-regional with a score of 465, which was a 20-stroke improvement over their team score from the conference meet a week earlier.
Defending D2 state champion Madison Edgewood/Sacred Heart won the regional team title with a score of 359. Crusader junior Katie Arneson won the individual regional title with a 13-over round of 85, while teammates Natalie Myers (second, 87), Carmen Cruz (fourth, 92) and Kendall Tribus (fifth, 95) each finished in the top five.
SWAL/SWC champion Lancaster was second as a team with a 387. Southwestern/Benton/Cuba City (409) and host Jefferson (429) secured the remaining sectional team berths by placing third and fourth, respectively.
Darlington junior Cora Carpenter placed 37th overall with a 126 (63/63), while freshman Kennedy Wagner finished 38th at 127 (64/63) to complete the Redbirds’ team score. Junior Sydney Brant followed in 39th at 128 (64/64).
“I knew we would have to have shot our best round of the season to make it through and that did not happen. There are a lot of seniors graduating, so next year I would be surprised if we do not qualify as a team since we have everybody back,” added Donar.
Cambridge junior Kailey Wagener was 12th with a 102 and Edgerton senior Cianna Kruckenberg was 17th with a 105 to earn the remaining individual sectional berths at the meet.
The WIAA Division 2 Prairie du Chien Sectional Meet was held at the PdC Country Club on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The results were not available at press time. A full report will appear in next week’s Republican Journal.
WIAA DIVISION 2 REGIONAL MEET
Team Scores: Madison Edgewood/Sacred Heart 359, Lancaster 387, Southwestern/Benton/Cuba City 409, Jefferson 429, Cambridge 445, Edgerton 448, Darlington 465, Clinton 485, Beloit Turner 500.
Regional Medalist: Katie Arneson, MESH, 85.
Individual Sectional Qualifiers: Wagener, C, 102; C. Kruckenberg, E, 105, Kinsey Gould, Darlington, 106; Alexi Wagner, Darlington, 106.
Darlington Results: Kinsey Gould 106, Alexi Wagner 106, Cora Carpenter 126, Kennedy Wagner 127, Sydney Brandt 128.
At Koshkonong Mounds GC, Par 72
