Reeths-Puffer, Whitehall and Montague earned the top three spots in that order at Wednesday's Whitehall Invitational, with a spectacular performance by the Rockets' star, Sophia McCollum, highlighting the day.
McCollum led the Rockets to the win, the team's first in a tournament in two years, with a two-under par 69, her personal best score. She made six birdies in the round, including four in a span of six holes at one point, and didn't shoot worse than a bogey on any hole in the tournament.
Olivia Ambler also had a solid day for the Rockets, shooting an 84, also a personal best, to earn fourth place overall. She finished her round with four consecutive pars. Ella Voorhies shot a 92, her second-best career score, and Abby Davis had a 95, knocking a whopping 16 strokes off her previous best score. The team's total score was 340, 15 strokes better than second-place Whitehall.
"Sophia played great today," Rockets' coach Matt Pallett said. "Fortunately, we also have other girls who have been overshadowed a bit that have also really improved. Olivia Ambler and Ella Voorhies have really improved and put us in a great position to have a great year. Both of them played well today and battled through some tough stretches for the team.
“Abby Davis had a breakthrough day today for us. Abby works very hard and I was happy to see her have the day that she did.”
The Vikings had two top-10 finishers, with Kelsie McClure leading the way. She tied with Ambler for the No. 4 position by shooting an 84, only once shooting worse than a bogey in the round. Riley Shafer added an 88 to tie for eighth place; she too only did worse than a bogey on one hole.
Avarie Bentz shot an 89 and Kadee TenBrock a 94 to close out Whitehall scoring.
For Montague, Molly Mulder enjoyed a great day, shooting an 82 to finish third overall and tie her personal best score. She finished strong, going one under par over her final six holes and making two birdies.
The Wildcats' other three mainstays also contributed to the team score. Brynlee Kessler posted a 90 and Addi Smith and Marguerite O'Connell each shot a 96. Kessler and O'Connell each made a birdie during their rounds.
"It was a mixed bag of results for the girls today at the Whitehall Invitational, but even without everyone having their best day, the Wildcats still posted their lowest team score of the season," the program posted on its Facebook page.
