Kelley Emke knows all about the history of the Ankeny girls’ golf team.
The Hawkettes’ new head coach is hoping to build on the program’s tradition in 2024. She once played for Ankeny under legendary coach Toni Dickey, who was Emke’s mother.
Now, she is trying to develop some chemistry with the 10 girls on the squad.
“The girls have been great,” said Emke. “Having the new simulators has really allowed us some open-hitting time to start building those relationships with me and new teammates.”
Dickey guided the Hawkettes to state championships in 2003, 2004 and 2008. That was part of a nine-year run in which her teams earned eight top-three finishes at the state meet.
Emke was a part of that historic run as she was a varsity regular in 2005-06. She took over the team last fall after Seth Hagarty departed to return to Jesup.
Emke has some work to do after Ankeny posted a 0-8 record in the CIML Conference a year ago.
“Ultimately, this is a strong program with a strong history, and we want to continue to build on that,” Emke said. “The girls know we’re going to work hard together, set goals, and hopefully achieve those goals as a team.”
Seniors Gracie Block and Addison Smith are among the returning varsity regulars. Juniors Isabella Ross and Ava Sesker are also back from last year’s team.
Ross led the squad with a 49.7 average. She shot a 92 to place 22nd at the conference meet, where she led the Hawkettes to an eighth-place finish.
Ross took eighth at the Ankeny Centennial Invitational with an 89. She finished 15th at the Waukee Invitational with an 88.
Smith was the team’s No. 2 golfer as a junior, posting an average score of 51.0. She placed ninth in a Class 4A regional meet at Waterloo with a 91, leading Ankeny to a fifth-place finish.
Smith carded a 92 to place 20th at the Valley Invitational. She placed 15th at the Dickey Invitational with a 94.
Block posted an average score of 56.2. She shot an 88 to place 13th at the Southeast Polk Invitational.
Sesker, meanwhile, had a 64.0 average.
“This year we are really working on building consistency in our scores,” Emke said. “We want to work together to figure out which parts of the game each girl wants and/or needs to improve in and use that to improve one stroke at a time. While doing this we also want to ensure that we are having fun and building a quality environment for all to be successful.”
Ankeny will open the season on April 1 at The Legacy Golf Club, where the Hawkettes will face Treynor, Waukee and Waukee Northwest in a quadrangular meet.