Schools
Hinsdale South Girls Golf Team Making Most of Small Numbers
2010 individual state qualifier Jessica Sachs is among four returnees for the Hornets, who are relying on just six varsity players.
HINSDALE SOUTH GIRLS GOLF PREVIEW
COACH: Julie Sweet (9th season)
2010 RESULTS: 8-3 overall, 7-2 in West Suburban Conference; fourth at WSC Meet (377) and third in final overall standings; second at Marist Regional (367); seventh at Class 2A Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional (359)
RETURNING 2010 STATE QUALIFIER: Junior Jessica Sachs (tied for 71st, 179)
OTHER VARSITY RETURNEES: Seniors Jackie and Brittany DeClouette and sophomore Samantha Buddig
VARSITY NEWCOMERS: Senior Katelyn Kiser and sophomore Anisha Pal
OUTLOOK: The Hornets have just six girls on varsity and 11 in the program, but it’s a talented group.
Sachs returns after qualifying for her first state meet. Brogdon, DeClouette and Buddig also are back from a 2010 lineup that produced the lowest 9-hole team score and the second-lowest 18-hole total in program history and sent multiple individuals to state for the first time ever.
At the season-opening Plainfield North Invite Aug. 16, Sachs tied for fourth (82) and the Hornets (365) were fourth of 16 teams. In two away duals, the Hornets beat Downers Grove North 182-193 Wednesday after losing to Naperville North 171-183 Aug. 18.
“Other years, we would have been thrilled with a 183. This year I’m like, ‘That’s middle of the road. We can do better,’ ” Sweet said.
“We’re a little short of numbers, but hopefully we’ll be mighty. We’ve got a quality four, definitely, and Anisha has been scoring well for us, too. We’re doing OK. We have some pretty high goals for ourselves this year. We think we can give some teams a run for their money.”
Sachs competed at state last year with graduated Angela DiFiglio (tied for 78th, 181), who also made her state debut. Sachs’ older sister Amy also qualified for state as a sophomore in 2002, tying for 106th in a then one-class format.
“Now the goal (for Jessica at state) is to get there and do better because now she knows how it all goes down there,” Sweet said. “I think (qualifying in 2010) was important for a couple of reasons. It validated all of the work she put in and that’s always nice to see that happen. Also, in the back of her head was what her sister accomplished so it made it kind of sweet for it to happen to her, too.”
Based on early results, DeClouette is looking like she could contend for an individual state berth. In the victory over Downers North, Sachs (43) and DeClouette (44) had the Hornets’ top two counting scores, followed by Buddig (47) and Brogdon (48).
Pal is the younger sister of graduated Anjali Pal from the 2010 varsity lineup. Kiser also is on varsity for the first time.
Home meets are at the Village Greens of Woodridge. On that course last season, the Hornets shot a program-record 175 with a counting score from DeClouette and a 176 at Naperbrook with scores from Sachs, DeClouette and Brogdon. The Hornets’ 356 at Silver Lakes with scores from Sachs and DeClouette was one stroke shy of tying the 18-hole program record.
In the WSC, the Hornets are looking for another top-three team finish but have to battle returning 2010 state team qualifiers Hinsdale Central (3rd) and Lyons Township (10th), which both return with most of their lineups. Hinsdale Central has won four straight conference titles.
At the 2010 WSC Meet, Sachs (10th) earned an all-conference medal with a top-20 finish, and DeClouette and Buddig also competed. The junior varsity was fourth overall with Brogdon an all-conference 14th.
QUOTABLE: “We’ve got to be consistent and healthy. If we’ve got that, we can do some things,” Sweet said. “And also not being satisfied with what we’ve done it the past. We want to strive and keep getting better. We want to get out of regionals as a team. Our ultimate goal is to get out of sectionals, but at least we’d like to get a couple of kids downstate. A lot of that depends on the luck of the (IHSA assignments) draw.”
