Hamilton Southeastern Leads Charge into Girls Golf State Finals

Information provided by IHSAA Communications

Second-ranked Hamilton Southeastern is among the 21 teams set to compete for the crown during the 39th Annual IHSAA Girls Golf State Finals this weekend at The Legends Golf Club in Franklin.

Hamilton Southeastern enters the state tournament series final round as the defending state champions.

In addition to the 21 teams set to participate, 22 individuals have moved on to state for a total of 127 participants representing 43 different teams from across the state.

The IHSAA intends to utilize a double wave start of threesomes with the first group teeing off the Middle 9 course and the Road course at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. The second group of players will begin their rounds at 1 p.m.

Those teams and individuals that make the first-day cut will return for a second day on Saturday.

The No. 2 Royals are aiming for their third title in four years while top-ranked Penn, last year's fourth-place team, is looking for its first crown since 2005. Penn won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. The two top-ranked schools have combined for six of the last nine state championships. Both teams returned four of their top five players from last year.

Three of the top-five scores in regional history were recorded last Saturday with Hamilton Southeastern among the record-setters. The Royals shot a 305 at regional, the second-lowest score ever to win at New Castle's Westwood Golf Course.

Penn's 309 to win the regional at Beechwood in LaPorte was the fourth-lowest. No. 8 Yorktown, which finished runner-up to HSE at Westwood, shot a 310, the fifth-best mark. Noblesville's 302 at Westwood in 2002 remains the regional standard.

Carmel recorded a 321 to win regional at Smock last weekend. The Greyhounds have finished as state runner-up each of the past two years.

Other Central Indiana regional champions include: Center Grove (340) at Foxcliff and Cathedral (327) at Battle Ground.

Martinsville placed second to Center Grove at Foxcliff and is making its ninth consecutive appearance at The Legends. Their streak is the longest active string after Evansville Memorial's streak of 11 straight years ended when it failed to advance out of regional. Evansville Memorial fell short of Martinsville's 12 straight trips from 1990-2001.

See first-round tee times and pairings!

State Finals
Round 1: Friday, September 30, 2011. 8:30 a.m.

Round 2: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. 8:30 a.m.

Site: The Legends Golf Club, 2555 N. Hurricane Road, Franklin, IN, 46131.

Admission: $8 per person per day; $12 per person both days.

Advancement from Round One to Round Two: Top nine teams; Any team within 12 strokes of the lead after Round One; Top nine individuals, excluding those individuals who advance with a team plus; Any individual within four strokes of the lead after Round One; Teams tied for ninth place and medalists tied for ninth place. 

State Tournament Notables

Teams Qualified (21) *indicates regional champion.
Bloomington North, Carmel*, Castle*, Center Grove*, Chesterton, Evansville North, Fairfield, Hamilton Southeastern*, Homestead*, Indianapolis Cathedral*, Jasper, Lafayette Jefferson, Martinsville, Noblesville, Penn*, Roncalli, Valparaiso, Warsaw, Western, Yorktown, Zionsville.

Teams Returning from 2010 State Finals (14 of 21)
Carmel, Center Grove, Chesterton, Fairfield, Hamilton Southeastern, Indianapolis Cathedral, Jasper, Lafayette Jefferson, Martinsville, Noblesville, Penn, Roncalli, Valparaiso, Zionsville.

Individuals Qualified without a Team (22)
Allison Banasiak, Highland.
Jullian Busfield, South Bend Riley.
Maggie Camp, North Posey.
Elizabeth Carlson, Fremont.
Paige Crafton; Indianapolis Bishop Chatard.
Paxton DeHaven, Seymour.
Amanda Detmer, Madison.
Zoey Freese, Southport.
Darrah Holder, North Daviess.
Katherine Holdren, Delta.
Lauren Hruskovich, Lafayette Central Catholic.
Mattie Lindner, Lebanon.
Sabrina Matthews, Perry Meridian.
Ariana Mendez-Sota, LaPorte.
Jill Morrison, Winchester.
Morgan Nadeline, Anderson.
Morgan Patterson, Terre Haute South.
Katie Sharp, East Noble.
Brenna Sherwood, Elkhart Memorial.
Lucy Stevens, Guerin Catholic.
Carly Waggoner, Vincennes Rivet.
Anna Wilcoxson, South Bend St. Joseph’s.

Individuals Returning from 2010 Top 10 (7)
2. Katie Sharp, East Noble.
T3. Kelly Grassel, Chesterton.
T3. Briana Midkiff, Carmel.
5. Harley Dubsky, Valparaiso.
T7. Kayla Katterhenry, Castle.
T9. Brooke Beegle, Hamilton Southeastern.
T9. Kari Bellville, Penn.

Most Consecutive State Finals Appearances
12: Martinsville (1990-2001).

Active Streaks of Consecutive State Finals Team Appearances (3 or more years)
9: Martinsville.
8: Noblesville.
7: Hamilton Southeastern.
6: Roncalli.
5: Carmel, Indianapolis Cathedral.
4: Chesterton, Lafayette Jefferson, Penn.

State Finals Appearance Droughts Broken
31 years: Castle (1980).

Former State Runners-Up in the Field
Katie Sharp, 10, East Noble (2010).

First-Time Regional Champions in the Field
Castle, Center Grove, Indianapolis Cathedral.