With only a few weeks left in the season, the Ankeny Centennial girls’ golf team appears to be peaking at the right time.
The Jaguars placed fifth among 10 squads in the Dragon Invitational on Monday at Jester Park. They posted a season-best score of 367.
“It was a great day to be a Jag!” said Centennial coach Marty Kiepe. “I couldn’t be more proud of how the team played today. Our low round going into today was 386 last week at Elmwood (Country Club), and the girls bettered that by 19 strokes with three of the top four shooting personal bests. Today we set out with a goal of carrying last week’s momentum into another busy week, and the girls came through.”
Waukee Northwest captured the team title for the third straight year, shooting a 334. Norwalk placed second with a 346.
Saleah Vivanh Vong of Des Moines East carded a 2-over-par 74 to earn medalist honors. Evelyn Kinney of Norwalk was the runner-up with a 77.
Centennial’s Cate Trewet shot an 80 to place seventh as an individual.
“Cate came of the gates red hot and played a really good front nine,” Kiepe said. “She faced some early adversity at the beginning of the back nine, but was able to slam the door on that with a chip-in eagle on No. 17. Cate got to play with some of the best in the state today, and I’m super pleased with how she answered the call with all of that attention around her group.”
Teagan Skinner fired a 92 for the Jaguars, while Madi Trosper had a 96. Like Trewet, they both posted personal bests.
“Teagan fought hard out there today,” Kiepe said. “She had a few bad holes where she easily could’ve thrown in the towel, but she didn’t let those get to her and was able to post a great round. I’m proud of how she’s been playing this last week. She started off the season not meeting her own expectations, but is starting to find her stride at the right time.
“And this was Madi’s first time under 100. She’s been really close to getting over the hump and finally got there today. It’s pretty impressive for her first year out for golf!” he added.
Maddy Gochoel provided Centennial’s fourth score with a 99. Gretta Borich had a 102, and Kyler Jones added a 109.
“A sunny and calm morning quickly turned into a windy warm afternoon at Jester,” Kiepe said. “But a 19-stroke improvement is no joke, and it’s something that we will certainly celebrate.”
The Jaguars will travel to Copper Creek on Tuesday for a CIML Conference triangular meet against Southeast Polk and Waukee Northwest. The Rams placed fourth at Monday’s meet with a 354.
Tuesday’s triangular will decide the conference dual-meet crown as both Northwest and Southeast Polk are 6-0 in the league.