By Becky Walz,
Novices will rule the course for the South Winn girls’ golf team in 2022.
The Warriors return just three varsity starters to a squad with just one senior.
They will be coached by Glenna Munuswamy and Michael Wenthold, who are in their fourth year of co-coaching the South Winn golf teams.
Novices will rule the course for the South Winn girls’ golf team in 2022.
The Warriors return just three varsity starters to a squad with just one senior.
They will be coached by Glenna Munuswamy and Michael Wenthold, who are in their fourth year of co-coaching the South Winn golf teams.
Looking back at 2021
The Warriors had just one returning letter winner in 2021 with senior Sydney Becker, while Ruthie Frana had experience on the course as well. The pair was joined by four freshmen was thrown into varsity action from the get-go. South Winn won just two meets during the course of the season.
At the Upper Iowa Conference meet, the Warriors faced a tough field. In the end, they finished fourth as a team, despite Becker claiming the league crown with a 101 tally. Three others received all-conference honorable mention nods including Katrina Hageman (127), Ruthie Frana (127) and Brooke Steffans (131).
A week after trolling the Tri-City Golf Course for the UIC meet, the Warriors were back on the greens in Luana in regional action, finishing fifth with a final tally of 507. Becker led South Winn, finishing the day 11th by carding a 112. Hageman came through with a 121, good for 16th overall, while Frana was close behind in 19th with a 128. Rounding out the scorecard with a 146 was Brooke Steffans. Also on the course were Annisten Ondrashek (165) and Hannah Pahl (173).
Back strong
At the top of the class in 2022 will be two letter winners — Frana and Hageman.
They will be joined by returning sophomores Brooke Steffans, Hannah Pahl and Annie Ondrashek, along with one additional sophomore and eight freshmen.
The co-coaches noted the size of the team with 15 total girls.
“We plan to get some solid play out of our returning sophomores who have a year under their belts. In addition, we are excited to add so many numbers and we see much promise for them as they develop,” said Coaches Munuswamy and Wenthold.
One thing the team can’t control: the weather.
“It’s Iowa golf, so we get very limited time on the course prior to the start of competition. We will have to do everything we can to eliminate unnecessary strokes around and on the greens. We have to commit to an improvement in our short game,” said the co-coaches. “Our team has a great attitude and love for the game. Being able to have fun and shake off the rough shots is critical to performance and this group has the right mindset. The girls are also very coachable and open to improvement which will be key to shaving strokes off as the season progresses.”
In charge
The Warriors will be in charge of their own destiny this season. The co-coaches see North Fayette Valley and Clayton Ridge as being the teams to beat in the Upper Iowa Conference. It will be up to South Winn to continue to push throughout the season and fire the best score possible in May.
“As a team this is a bit of a building year, but we always shoot for the top three in the conference. We have several golfers that should vie for top spots in the conference as individuals, including senior Ruthie Frana who had a strong season last year,” said Co-Coach Munuswamy.
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