Saint Mary’s took third place at the fourth leg of the MIAA Jamboree on Saturday, shooting a 349 at Lenawee Country Club in Adrian, Michigan.
Senior Janice Heffernan had a big day for the Belles. She finished with a final score of 81 to earn second place overall, one stroke away from the individual leader, Olivet junior Brooke Kastamo. Heffernan claimed MIAA Golfer of the Week honors on Monday after her performance last week in the third leg of the MIAA Jamboree at the Ravines Golf Club, the second time this season she has earned that accolade.
Following not too far behind Heffernan, was sophomore teammate Ali Mahoney, who posted an 85 to tie for seventh individually.
“Any time when we can have players shooting in the high 70’s and low 80’s is extremely helpful to our team’s success,” Belles coach Kim Moore said. “I feel that all of our players have the capability to shoot those scores on a weekly basis. If those two players can stay low this weekend and we can add one or two more players in the mix ,we will have a great shot at being able to host one or two events in the spring.”
Hope finished in first place at the nine-team competition hosted by Adrian. The Flying Dutch tallied an overall score of 340, followed shortly behind by Olivet's 342.
Belles freshman Kaitlyn Cartone, who shot a 91 finished in 19th place; freshman Kelsey Conkright, finished with a 92 to tie for 20th place; junior Katie Zielinski, shot a 93 to finish tied for 25th overall; and sophomore Rachel Kim, shot a 94 to finish tied for 30th place.
Moore said she was proud of her team’s ability to do well despite the poor weather, which included rain, wind and low temperatures.
“Playing golf in the elements is part of this sport, and being the first to adapt to your situation is extremely helpful,” Moore said. “It can be a struggle, especially if you are not used to it, but I felt our team grinded it out very well. You have to be mentally tough when you play in conditions like that, and I felt our team did a great job at taking one stroke and one hole at a time.”
The Belles next compete in the two-round MIAA End of Season Weekend Jamboree on Oct. 10 and 11. The final conference competition will be played at The Medalist Golf Club in Marshall, Michigan.
