GIRLS GOLF SEASON PREVIEW
Three storylines to watch
Back for more: After numerous state tournament appearances, Kettle Moraine broke through to win its first state championship last season. The Lasers have what it takes to be in the hunt again. The three players who are back, senior Julia Schilling and sophomores Jenna Anderson and Madeline Fiebig, were all-state picks. The team's top five players each averaged in the 80s last season.
Top talent: Last year's area and state player of the year, Emily Lauterbach, graduated, but this is a good year when you're talking about the top players around the area. Most of the area's conferences return their player of the year: Greater Metro (Rachel Kauflin), North Shore (Elise Hoven and Maddie Wilke), Southeast (Mallory Swartz) and Southern Lakes (Holly Murphy).
Great in the GMC: Brookfield Central's seventh straight Greater Metro Conference championship was a dominant performance that might be repeated. The Lancers won each league meet last season. Four players from that lineup, including all-state picks Sarah Balding and Sami Krutz and all-league performer CJ Romero, are back.
Players to watch
Jenna Anderson, soph., Kettle Moraine: She tied for 14th at state last season in Division 1 and received honorable mention on the Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin all-state team after posting a season 18-hole average of 83.6, the second-best of the team's returning players.
Sarah Balding, soph, Brookfield Central: The all-Greater Metro Conference pick was a second-team all-state selection who finished 39th at state. In the spring, she placed third at the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals and then had a strong season of summer golf.
Meredith Boos, sr., Catholic Memorial: The honorable mention all-state pick reached the state tournament as an individual qualifier and finished 19th. This summer on the Wisconsin PGA junior tour, she won three events and was second in two others.
Madeline Fiebig, soph., Kettle Moraine: The pressure of the postseason didn't bother her. As a freshman, she broke 80 at the regional and sectional meets and posted an opening-round 78 at state. She tied for 20th and received honorable mention on the all-state team.
Elise Hoven, jr., Cedarburg: The North Shore co-player of the year made her first state tournament last season and used a strong second round to climb 14 spots in the standings and tie for 28th.
Ellie Kaiser, sr., Arrowhead: The twotime state qualifier tied for 28th at state last year and as a sophomore helped the Warhawks win the Division 1 state championship.
Rachel Kauflin, sr., Wauwatosa: The Central Michigan recruit is also a twotime Greater Metro player of the year and a first-team all-state pick last year. She claimed a sectional title last season and finished third at the state tournament. This summer she won five tournaments on the junior tour.
Sami Krutz, sr., Brookfield Central: A third-team all-state selection last season, Krutz won a regional title, finished eighth at the sectional and tied for 14th in her first state meet appearance.
Holly Murphy, sr., Badger: The twotime Southern Lakes Conference player
of the year has two top 10 finishes at state. She was 10th last season and tied for eighth as a sophomore. The firstteam all-state selection will play at North Dakota State.
Julia Schilling, sr., Kettle Moraine: The third-team all-state selection was the top finisher on the Lasers state championship team. She tied for 11th.
Grace Suter, sr., Oconomowoc: The returning all-state (third team) performer reached the state meet as an individual qualifier and finished tied for 20th.
Mallory Swartz, sr., Franklin: Last year's Southeast Conference player of the year, Swartz was at her best at the end of the season. She was a regional champion and sectional runner-up before tying for sixth at the state meet. She will play at Bowling Green.
Maddie Wilke, sr., Cedarburg: She won the North Shore Conference tournament and shared the league's player of the year award with Hoven. Wilke finished 59th in her first state appearance.