Colfax girls golf hopes to continue improving in 2016

By Cara L. Dempski

COLFAX — In 2015, Coach Kim Myers’ Colfax girls’ golf team made it to regional play as a team and sent one player to sectional competition.

Myers said of last year’s team, “They improved from the beginning of the season to the end, which is what I expected of them.”

It is with that goal of consistent improvement in mind that Myers and her team of nine enter their 2016 season.

Only one player graduated from the team in May and Myers has a group of freshman she said have great potential.

Hannah DeMoe is the player who left the team at the end of last season after making it to sectionals as an individual. She narrowly missed qualifying for the state tournament at University Ridge in Madison. DeMoe was described by Myers as a great leader and motivator with a sunny personality and a no-nonsense approach to things.

There are five letter winners returning to this year’s team. Seniors Kaely Rieck, Megan Schleusner and Hannah Yingst will be playing their final season for Myers.

Junior Amanda Christianson and sophomore Abby Kluekmann also return to the team after winning varsity letters. Joining the upperclassmen is Hannah Sikora, who is a sophomore looking to add to the team’s play over the course of the season.

Three freshmen have joined the team for 2016, and one of them comes to the team with tournament experience as a middle school student. Abby DeMoe has played to success in multiple tournaments with the Chippewa Valley Golf Association.

DeMoe is joined by Morgan Schleusner and Haley Seston, both of whom are said to have potential as strong contributors to the team and as individual players.

A few of the strengths Myers identified in her 2016 team are its ability to be coached and camaraderie among its members.

“They get along well and really enjoy each other’s company,” Myers observed. “They want to improve their game and take instruction well.”

The Vikings’ biggest weakness may be finding time to practice. Myers shared that all nine girls are involved in multiple other activities, leaving them feeling pulled in many directions.

In terms of goals for this season, Myers said she would like to see the team shoot under 210 over 18 holes. She would also like to see each girl improve her score by five strokes by the end of the season.

Looking at other, non-statistical goals, Myers said “I would like for the girls to stay as tightly-knit as they are at the beginning of the season.”

New Richmond is the team Myers said will be tough to beat again this year. She cites the team’s junior program as the source of the high school team’s successes.

Myers is in her fourth year of coaching the team, which was started in 2013. She has had a girl qualify for sectionals each year. Overall, Myers is looking forward to her season.

“I have a full varsity and junior varsity team, which is great,” Myers said. “I cannot wait to see how much the team improves.”

The team already has several meets under its belt this season, having started with a scramble on August 12 in Barron and three invitationals the week of August 15. The team’s play continued the week of August 22 with invitationals in Amery and Osceola on August 23 and 25.

August 30 will see the Vikings in Baldwin-Woodville before returning to their home course on August 31 to play Amery, Baldwin-Woodville and Stanley-Boyd.

2016 Roster

Seniors: Kaely Rieck, Megan Schleusner, Hannah Yingst.

Juniors: Amanda Christianson.

Sophomores: Abby Kluekmann, Hannah Sikora.

Freshmen: Abby DeMoe, Morgan Schleusner, Haley Seston.