Top five finishes for Iron Horses, Bishops girls' golf squads
The Philip Simmons and Bishop England girls’ golf teams both capped successful seasons with top five finishes during the recent state championships, which were held Oct. 26 and 27.
PHILIP SIMMONS
The Iron Horses traveled to the Grand Strand and finished in third place in the Class AA-A match, which was held at the Myrtle Beach National’s South Course.
Mountainview Prep won the title with a two-day total of 628, 20 strokes ahead of runner-up Clinton. The Iron Horses carded a 684 to hold down third place.
Philip Simmons' seventh-grader Eloise Fetzer, the team’s No. 1 player, finished in fifth place with a two-day total of 148. She was one of three Iron Horse golfers to earn all-state. Samantha Vroon and Riley Harkey also earned the honor.
“As a seventh-grader, she wasn't intimidated by the upper classmen she was paired with both days,” coach Kim Harkey said. “She played her game and never lost her focus.”
Sophomore Samantha Vroon carded a 158 to finish in fifth place, while senior Riley Harkey finished tied for 10th with a score of 167.
“Samantha hit some fantastic shots and had three birdies over the two-day event,” Harkey said. “Riley Harkey, one of our seniors, had her first-ever top-10posting an 82-85. As a senior, this was her goal all season, and I am so happy that she was able to achieve it at her last state tournament of her career.”
BISHOP ENGLAND
Meanwhile, the Bishops traveled to Loris, South Carolina, to compete in the state championship, which was held at the Diamond Back Golf Course. Atlantic Collegiate Academy won the crown with a two-day total of 710, which was six shots better than runner-up Daniel High School.
Bishop England finished in fifth place with a score of 726.
“The team was two strokes out of first after our first round,” BE coach Terese Dynjan said. “The second day was a tough day for all the girls, and we slipped to fifth place. But I was proud of the girls’ attitudes while struggling.”
Emerson Rhoads led Bishop England to its fifth-place finish in Class AAA with a 174, which was good for all-state honors. Lilly Chisolm missed all-state status by one shot, finishing in 17th place. She carded a 179.
“Our top three players are all eighth-graders,” Dynjan said. “They were all counted on all season. Emerson played the best for us at state. On a difficult course, she kept fighting both days. Some good holes, some bad -- but lots of toughness in Emerson.”
Dynjan said 2027 will be a rebuilding year.
“We had 13 girls on the team this year,” Dynjan said. “We lose seven seniors. Of those seniors, Aubrey and Kelly Maher were our fourth and fifth players. Two other seniors, Helen Belle Livesay, and Kinsley Watson were right there too.”
The Bishops could also lose some of their younger players who transfer.
“So possibly losing nine players, including five of the top six, will be tough,” Dynjan said. “This season was exciting, and hopefully BE golf will be competitive again soon.”