Freshmen lead Frontier in SWYL golf mini-tourney
| Friday, Oct 17 2008 12:11 AM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 02:17 PM
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Liberty's Lauren Netzer jumps for joy after sinking a putt on No. 8 at the Foss-Kern River Golf Course.
Call it the "freshmen success program" for now. And maybe, just maybe, it's a portent of what's to come from Frontier High girls golf.
Led by 10-over-par 82s by freshmen Meghan Shain and Taylor Shweiki, Frontier clinched at least a share of its first Southwest Yosemite League championship by winning Thursday's SWYL mini-tournament at the par-72 North Kern Golf Course.
The Titans finished with a score of 424, ahead of second-place Stockdale's 460, giving league-leading Frontier 72 points on the season, 12 ahead of the Mustangs heading into next week's final mini-tournament. Which means, barring a meltdown in next week's tournament, the Titans are well on their way to winning their first league title outright.
"It feels really good," Shain said. "It lets us know that we have a lot to do in the future and that we could probably win league all four years."
With such youth -- Frontier also has two sophomores and a junior -- the prospects look bright for the Titans.
"By the time we're seniors," Shweiki said, "we're going to be shooting par or under par, because we have the potential and the game to do it."
The focus for now, though, will be on the South Area tournament in less than two weeks and how Frontier can contend with favored Garces.
"It's going to be close," Frontier coach Tony Bernardin said. "Garces is certainly the favorite heading into it because of their experience -- their experience in playoff situations. That's their ace in the hole right there."
Individually, Stockdale senior Tammy Park continued to dominate the SWYL, leading the pack with a 75.
Park, who has won every SWYL mini-tournament this season, said she is feeling confident and has corrected glitches from earlier in the season.
"I'm doing good right now. I like how I did today," Park said. "My drive distances are getting much better. I love my drive now. My irons got better, too. I think I'm doing pretty good right now."
