GC golfers finish as conference runners-up, four earn all-conference
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THE GLENWOOD CITY boys’ golf team finished third at the 18-hole conference tournament held May 15 at the Whitetail Golf Course. Varsity team members included, from left to right, Charles Lamb, Esdyn Swenby, Ian Radintz, Gabe Knops, Ben Wittmer, and Landon Obermueller. Lamb, Swenby, Radintz and Knops earned all-conference honors. —photo submitted
COLFAX — The Glenwood City boys’ golf team closed out the conference and regular season by placing third in the 2023 Dunn-St. Croix conference tournament held at Whitetail Golf Course last Monday, May 15.
The Hilltoppers tallied a score of 371, 13 strokes better than their conference tournament finish a year ago, as four of its varsity players finished the 18-hole tournament with scores in the 80s and 90s.
Sophomore Esdyn Swenby swung a hot club at the D-SC championship leading Glenwood City with a score of 85 which was good for a fourth-place finish. Senior Ian Radintz, sophomore Charles Lamb and senior Gabe Knops carded 93, 94 and 97, respectively, to finish in tenth, 11th and 12th place. Junior Ben Wittmer rounded out the Toppers’ quintet with a score of 104 that placed him 18th on the individual leader board.
By virtue of their performances in last Monday’s tournament and the other eight conference meets four Hilltoppers earned spots on the all-conference teams. Esdyn Swenby had four, top five finishes to garner a spot on the first team after earning second-team honors a year ago. Meanwhile, Gabe Knops and Ian Radintz repeated as second-team honorees. Charles Lamb earned his first all-conference award by joining Knops and Radintz on the second team.
Similar to the team scoring system, the top ten individuals in each meet were awarded points based on their finish with ten points going to the medalist all the way down to a single point for tenth. Those values were doubled for last Monday’s conference tournament.
Durand, led by freshman medalist Troy Pudenz’ 80 and an 81 from sophomore runner-up Logan Weissinger, won the tournament with a 344, 16 strokes less than host and second-place Colfax-Elk Mound who tallied a 360.
Glenwood City’s 371 put it in third. Spring Valley was fourth with a 420 and Mondovi came in fifth with a 447.
With its victory in the conference tournament, Durand won its ninth straight D-SC meet and third consecutive Dunn-St. Croix Conference Championship. The Panthers finished with 49.5 points in the final team standings. Points are awarded based on a team’s finish in each meet with a first-place finish earning five points, second-place four, third gets three points, a fourth place is awarded two and fifth receives a point.
Glenwood City tallied 35 points to finish as the conference runner-up for a third straight year, Colfax took third with 33.5 points followed by Spring Valley with 22 and Mondovi had ten.
Troy Pudenz of Durand was named the conference’s player of the year as he finished with 78 points just edging out teammate Logan Weissinger by a half point for the honor. The Panthers’ Shane Prissel placed third with 62.5, the Toppers’ Esdyn Swenby was fourth with 46.33 and Colfax-Elk Mound’s Zane Brice round out the top five with a 43.75.
The Hilltoppers, who qualified for the state golf tournament a year ago, opened WIAA tournament play yesterday, Tuesday, May 23, in a Division 3 regional meet held at Voyager Village Golf Course near Danbury. The top four teams along with the top four individuals, who are not members of a qualifying team, will advance to the sectional meet set for Tuesday, May 30 at Whispering Pines Golf Course in Cadott.