Park Rapids girls golf team counting on experience to lead way

     Despite not having a senior on the roster, head coach Walt Harrison is counting on a successful season from a veteran Park Rapids girls golf team.

     A year ago, the Panthers fell short of carding a round under 400 and ended the season placing fifth at the Mid-State Conference meet with a 435 and sixth at the Section 8AA North tournament with a 425.

     However, with 11 golfers who competed on varsity last year returning, Harrison is looking for the Panthers to vastly improve on those numbers.

     “We’re going to be competitive with schools our own size,” said Harrison. “We have 12 high school girls out, so we’re going to have good competition for varsity spots.”

     Returning to lead the Panthers this season are juniors Mariena Dearstyne, Alyza Edevold, Dana McDoanld, MacKenzie Hensel, Talya Smith and Lexi Stevenson; sophomores Drew Hilmanowski and Jasmine Cease; and freshmen Olivia McDoanld, Amber Schroeder and Olivia Wallace.

     Dearstyne led the Panthers with an 89.4 average in five 18-hole rounds, including a 95 at the Mid-State meet and a low of 83 at Staples.

     Edevold was second on the team with a 106.5 average in six rounds, including a 101 at the subsection meet and a season-best 100 at Headwaters Golf Club.

     Dana McDonald carded a 110.9 average in eight rounds with a low of 105 at Headwaters and a 114 at the subsection meet.

     Hilmanowski played five 18-hole rounds and tallied a 111.2 average, highlighted by a 104 at the subsection tournament.

     Cease rounded out the subsection team by carding a 122 and had a season-best 113 at Headwaters to finish the season with a 122.3 average in seven rounds.

     Also seeing varsity time last season were Wallace (121.3 average in three rounds with a low of 118), Olivia McDonald (127.5 average in four rounds with a low of 119), Hensel (132.0 average in three rounds with a low of 121), Stevenson (134.3 average in four rounds with a low of 129), Schroeder (134.7 average in three rounds with a low of 126) and Smith (145.8 average in four rounds with a low of 119).

     In Northern Pines Conference play, the Panthers took first in five of seven nine-hole meets with Dearstyne earning medalist honors three times and Hilmanowski earning medalist honors once. The Panthers missed one conference meet and ended up finishing second in the Northern Pines standings.

     Competing for varsity spots will be junior Tea Nyland; eighth graders Chloe Johnson, Emili Martinez, Kinley Nordin, Madison Johnson, Madison Paulson, Mariah Olson, Olivia Ulvin and Paige Leeseberg; and seventh grader Jessica Kaseman.

     Last year, Crookston (382), Hawley (390) and Roseau (395) led the way in the north at the subsection meet to qualify for the section tournament. Detroit Lakes captured the section title with a 304 (to finish 91 shots ahead of Roseau’s 395) and went on to win the state Class AA title with rounds of 293 and 297.

     “We have several girls who have a good chance of breaking 100. Our main goal is to break 400 as a team and get our team score down to 380. We also want to play in the section tournament. The subsection is going to be pretty competitive and it’s going to be tough (to finish in the top three to advance), but I think we have a good shot at it,” said Harrison. “We had some girls play a lot of golf last summer and they’re excited. It should be a fun season.”