Coming off a second place regional finish in advancing to sectional competition, the Macomb High girls golf team took aim at the next step Monday at Wolf Creek Golf Club in Pontiac.
Looking to earn a spot in the state finals for the seventh time in program history, the Bombers were on target, finishing third in the IHSA Class 1A Pontiac Sectional.
The top three teams advance to state, along with the top 10 individuals not on an advancing teams.
Macomb High finished with a team score of 368, one stroke ahead of Metamora for the third and final team spot.
Downs Tri-Valley won the sectional title with a score of 348. It was one stroke ahead of Monmouth United (349), who bested Macomb in winning the regional title last week at Cambridge.
Bloomington Central Catholic finished fifth (370), followed by Peoria Notre Dame (374), Ridgewood (381), Stanford Olympia (395), El Paso-Gridley (404), Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (406), Gilman Iroquois West (407) and Manteno (430).
Playing on the par 72, 5,470 yard layout, senior Sophie Wilson and freshman Taylor Mann topped the Bombers in posting scores of 88, tying them for 12th place out of 108 players.
Senior Brenlee Tibbitts shot a 93 in tying for 29th, while freshman Reese Watson carded a 99 in tying for 46th.
Juniors Mullen Butcher (103) and Aubrey Holthaus (117) rounded out the scores for MHS.
Individually, United’s Meredith Yung won medalist honors with a 75. Tri-Valley’s Elle Filarski was runner-up in shooting a 79.
Other players advancing to state as individuals include the following: Piper Stenzel of Seneca (81), Kennadie Finchum of Olympia (83), Caroline Braucht of BCC (84), Kaia Kimmel of Iroquois West (84), Maddie Bradbury of BCC (85), Isabella Dinelli of Dwight (85), Cassidy Novak of Bishop McNamara (85), Sara Finn of Illini Bluffs (85), Gillian Tyra of Metamora (87) and Isabel Carrol of Rockridge (88).
The Bombers headed to Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur for the IHSA Class 1A State Finals that started Friday morning.
Tee times for the Bombers as set by the IHSA are as follows. The Bombers will all start at the 10th hole.
Holthaus - 8:30 a.m. Butcher - 8:39 a.m. Watson - 8:48 a.m. Tibbitts - 8:57 a.m. Wilson - 9:06 a.m. Mann - 9:15 a.m. After the first day of competition, Saturday’s field will be reduced to the top eight teams (and ties) and the top 40 individuals (and ties) not on the top eight teams.
The last state appearance for the Bombers was in 2019 where they finished sixth.
