MONTAGUE — It was another great day for local squads Friday at the Montague Invitational. Montague brought home the big prize, shooting a 363 to top Whitehall by 16 strokes for first place, and the Vikings' Riley Shafer earned medalist honors with a score of 80, a new personal best for her.
Shafer knocked in three birdies during her impressive round, but the day belonged to Montague, in no small part due to an outstanding round for Marguerite O'Connell, who not only broke 90 for the first time - she smashed it, shooting an 82 to finish second overall. She made two birdies on the day.
"I’ve said for years that she’s one of the most talented girls in our program, and today she showed why," Montague coach Phil Kerr said of O'Connell. "I’m excited to see what this round can do for her confidence moving forward."
The Wildcats' Molly Mulder also placed in the top 10, coming in 10th with a 91. Addi Smith shot a 94 and Brynlee Kessler had a 96.
"They found a way to post quality scores and win even without their best stuff," Kerr said of the Wildcats' other three team scorers. "Our depth continues to carry us, and it seems like someone different steps up every event."
Following Shafer, Kelsie McClure posted a 93 for the Vikings. Avarie Bentz had a 101 and Kadee TenBrock a 105 to close team scoring.
"We know we can do better, by just cleaning up a few course management items," Whitehall coach Bill Borgman said. "We look forward to a busy next week and a good finish to this month."
Both schools also fielded second teams, consisting of JV players, in the meet. The Wildcats' No. 2s finished 13th out of 16 scoring teams, led by a 113 from Hazel Grice. Addie Bennett was the Vikings' lone player on the No. 2 team, shooting a 120.
