The Becker boys and girls golf teams ended their seasons last week, putting forth respectable performances despite no players qualifying for the state tournament.

Girls

Head Coach Anna Babler and the girls team put forth steady performances during both days of the tournament, finishing in fourth place overall.  

The team shot a total round score of 363 on the first day of competition, which was good enough to advance to the second day.  On day two, the girls shot a 365, for a two day total of 728.  All three scores were fourth place finishes for the team.

“The girls had an outstanding season,” Babler said.  “It was great to see their growth and the dedication that the girls have put into this sport.”

Individually, the Bulldogs’ top performer was Emma Benson, as she carded a two day total of 177, good enough for 18th place.  Teammate Alexa Voller was right behind with a 19th place score of 179.  Ashley Reed, with 183 strokes, finished in 21st place.  Layla Mathews (192), Gretchen Graftaas (200) and Kylee Rick (214) finished out the scoring for the Bulldogs.

“Ashley had a fantastic day one and Emma and Alexa did great on day two,” Babler said.  “Alexa shot her best round on day two, shooting an 85 and missing a hole in one by about ten inches.”

Babler said she was very impressed with her team’s improvement throughout the season and she believes the foundation has been set for more success in the future.

“It will be tough losing three seniors, but we are excited to see our girls continue to improve over the next few years,” she said.

Boys

For Head Coach Dan Olson and the boys team, the section tournament marked the end to an up and down season.  While they competed at a very high level at some meets, others were marred by a few big scores that hurt the team’s overall finish.

Such was the case last week at the Rich Springs Golf Club, as the Bulldogs shot a score of 365, putting them in 12th place after the first day.

“The course was in good shape and the weather was nice,” Olson said.  “Unfortunately, we did not play our best golf.”

Zach Stanz led the team effort with a round of 81, while Ethan Tobako (88), Matthew Martindale (89) and Tucker Rhodes (97) rounded out the scoring.

With his 81, Zach advanced to the second day of the tournament and he shot one stroke better with a round of 80, for a two day total of 161.  This left him in a tie for 12th place.

“This was an interesting season, but at least we were able to have a season,” Olson said.  “We will lose five seniors this year - Zach, Ethan, Matthew, Tucker and Brock (Ramola).”

Olson knows the team will be young next year, but he will have five golfers who return with some varsity experience.

For this season, Stanz was named All Conference, as well as Team MVP for scoring the low round in 16 of 17 matches this season.  He was also named Most Dedicated.

Martindale earned all conference honorable mention and received the Most Improved award.