Andy Fehn and John Petersen enjoyed a lot of success as the head coaches of the Ankeny Centennial girls’ golf program.
That is one tradition that Marty Kiepe is hoping to continue.
“New traditions can be hard, but our team has kept an open mind,” said Kiepe. “We have set clear expectations and made some of the larger decisions as a group. Building a certain level of trust has led to a great buy-in from the girls.”
Fehn started the Jaguars’ program when Centennial opened its doors in the fall of 2013 and coached the team for five seasons. He guided Karli Kerrigan to the Class 5A state title in the program’s inaugural season.
Petersen replaced Fehn in 2019 and led the Jaguars to a 10th-place finish in Class 4A in 2022. He also guided Payton Drefke to three consecutive top-16 finishes as an individual.
Kiepe has taken over the program after Centennial posted a 4-4 dual record in the CIML Conference last year in its final season under Petersen. There are 25 girls on the roster.
“The practices are going great,” Kiepe said. “The energy is high, and the girls are excited to get the season started.”
Among the team’s returnees is a trio of varsity players. They are seniors Emma Bisgard and Teagan Skinner and junior Cate Trewet.
“We graduated six girls off of our varsity rotation from last year, so I think a lot of the girls saw that as a great opportunity,” Kiepe said. “Our top seven or eight girls have been putting in the work, and I’m excited to see it pay off for them.”
Trewet is the team’s top returning player. She placed second on the squad last year with a 47.7 average.
Trewet was the runner-up with a 42 in the Jaguars’ win over Dowling Catholic at Jester Park. She later returned to Jester Park and shot an 89 to place 17th in the Dragon Invitational.
Trewet posted back-to-back rounds of 85 and 89 to place 11th overall at the conference meet, which was contested over two days at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club and Blank Golf Course. She led the Jaguars to a sixth-place finish with her 174 total.
Skinner, meanwhile, played in six varsity meets and posted a 55.2 average. She carded a 98 in her varsity debut, which came in the Linda Bloom Invitational at Elmwood Country Club.
Bisgard posted a 61.3 average in two varsity appearances. She fired a 114 in the final round of the conference meet.
The Jaguars will open their season on April 13 by hosting the Centennial Invitational at Briarwood Golf Club.
“As we approach our first varsity meet, we will set clearer ‘numbered’ goals,” Kiepe said. “While working through the last few days of the offseason our goal is to get a little bit better every day. The girls have been committed to that, and it’s been exciting to see them progress.”