Five of six championship teams return to defend their respective titles at this year’s state tournament. The Minnewaska Area girls’ team leads the pack, hoping to win its sixth consecutive crown. The Lakers won in Class A in 2006 and 2007, before moving up to Class AA the last three years. All three boys’ championship teams are back: Ortonville in Class A; Orono in Class AA; and Wayzata in Class AAA. Orono is pursuing its fourth consecutive title and Wayzata is in the hunt for its third. The girls of Providence Academy of Plymouth also return to defend their Class A title.
Three former Class A individual champions return in search of another gold medal. Frazee junior Beau Hanson will defend his 2010 crown, but he’ll face tough competition from Springfield senior Dillon Schultz, who took top honors in 2009. Senior Kelsey Ross of Osakis also returns to defend her title.
The 2011 State Golf Tournament is scheduled for June 14-16. The Class AAA golfers will compete at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids on June 14 and 15. The Class A tournament will be played on June 15 and 16 at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. The Class AA tournament will also be played on June 15 and 16 at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.
Class A Girls Highlights
Six teams, including the defending champions from Providence Academy (Section 4), return. Four of the Lions’ golfers competed in last year’s tournament. The other returning teams are: Lewiston-Altura (Section 1), runner-up; Osakis (Section 5), third; Fosston (Section 8), fourth; United South Central of Wells (Section 2), seventh; and Mesabi East of Aurora (Section 7), eighth.
Rounding out the 2011 field are Lincoln-HI of Ivanhoe (Section 3) and Barnesville (Section 6). Barnesville is the only team making its debut tournament appearance.
Kelsey Ross, a senior at Osakis, returns to defend her individual title. She will be joined by seven other Top 10 finishers: senior Tiana Runck of Springfield, third; senior Aimee Cichon of Lewiston-Altura, fifth; junior Kaitlyn Hennessy of Lewiston-Altura and senior Amy Mireault of Fosston, who tied for sixth; senior Steph Aanenson of Mounds Park Academy of St. Paul, ninth; and senior Amy Knutson of Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa and junior Paige Hungerholt of Lanesboro, who tied for 10th.
Class A Boys Highlights
Ortonville (Section 5) returns to defend its 2010 title with three members of last year’s team. Two other teams return from the 2010 field: Springfield (Section 3), third; and Sleepy Eye (Section 2), fourth.
The remaining five teams in the field are: Lanesboro (Section 1); Providence Academy (Section 4); Frazee (Section 6); BEST, a co-op or Babbitt-Embarrass and Tower-Soudan (Section 7); and Stephen-Argyle Central (Section 8). Lanesboro, Frazee, and BEST are making debut appearances.
In the individual competition, junior Beau Hanson of Frazee is back to defend his title. Dillon Schultz, a senior at Springfield, is also in the hunt for his second gold medal. He won top honors in 2009 and tied for runner-up honors last year. In addition to Hanson and Schultz, five other players who finished in the Top 10 are also returning: senior Aaron Forgaard of Bethlehem Academy of Faribault, tied for fourth; ninth-grader Sam Eisenhuth of BEST and junior Andrew Peterson of Legacy Christian Academy of Andover, who tied for sixth; and sophomore Jade Hasslen of Ortonville and senior Zach Hauser of MACCRAY of Clara City, who tied for 10th.
Class AA Girls Highlights
The five-time defending champions from Minnewaska Area of Glenwood (Section 3) return in search of more gold. The Lakers captured the Class A title in 2006 and 2007, and top honors in Class AA in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Four of the six players are returning from their 2010 squad.
Five other teams also return from last year’s field: Red Wing (Section 1), runner-up; Detroit Lakes (Section 8), third; Hermantown (Section 7), fifth; Becker (Section 5), sixth; and Mankato East (Section 2), eighth.
Rounding out the field are St. Croix Lutheran of West St. Paul (Section 4), making its first appearance, and Pequot Lakes (Section 6).
Senior Anna Laorr of Breck School of Golden Valley is the highest returning medal-winner; she placed third in 2010. The other returning medalists are: Byron senior Jordan Price, fourth; Red Wing junior Katie Kesti, fifth; Minnewaska Area senior Sam Falk, sixth; Perham senior Holly Karkela, seventh; Red Wing senior Danielle Brooks and her junior teammate, Marisa Toivonen, who tied for eighth; and Virginia senior Emma Kishel, tied for 10th.
Class AA Boys Highlights
Three of the eight teams in the Class AA boys’ tournament have 2010 tournament experience, including three-time defending champion Orono (Section 5). Orono shared championship honors with Detroit Lakes in 2008 and won it outright in 2009 and 2010. Five of the team’s six golfers played on last year’s team.
The other returning teams are: Academy of Holy Angels of Richfield (Section 4), fourth; and Detroit Lakes (Section 8), fifth.
Rounding out this year’s field are: Byron (Section 1); Shattuck-St. Mary’s of Faribault (Section 2); Marshall (Section 3); Staples-Motley (Section 6); and Hermantown (Section 7). Byron is the only school making its first appearance.
Three of the five returning Top 10 finishers are from Orono: senior Patrick Johnston tied for third place with Staples-Motley senior Zach Israelson who also is back; senior Miles Knutsen, tied for sixth; and senior Brian Urness and International Falls senior Glenn Walls, who also is back and tied for eighth.
Class AAA Girls Highlights
Two teams return from the 2010 field. Third-place finishing Stillwater Area (Section 4) is the highest returning qualifying team. The Ponies have four players with previous tournament experience. Northfield (Section 1), which placed eighth, is the only other returning team.
The remainder of the field is: Eden Prairie (Section 2); Woodbury (Section 3); Mounds View (Section 5); Wayzata (Section 6); the co-op of Elk River/Zimmerman (Section 7); and St. Cloud Apollo (Section 8). St. Cloud Apollo is the only school making its first tournament appearance.
Six returning Top 10 finishers are back, including New Prague ninth-grader McKenzie Neisen, who tied for runner-up honors last year. The others are: Wayzata ninth-grader Sarah Burnham, sixth; Stillwater Area junior Cassie Degg, seventh; Stillwater Area junior Hailey Boner, eighth; and Woodbury senior Mary Sweeney and Edina junior Grace Gilmore, who tied for 9th.
Class AAA Boys Highlights
Two-time defending champion Wayzata (Section 6) returns with five members of its 2010 championship squad. Four other teams from that field are also back: Rogers (Section 5), runner-up; Elk River (Section 7), third; Moorhead (Section 8), fourth; and Lakeville North (Section 1), sixth.
The remaining qualified teams are: Eden Prairie (Section 2); Eastview of Apple Valley (Section 3); and Cretin-Derham Hall of St. Paul (Section 4). All of this year’s qualifying teams have previous tournament experience.
Wayzata senior Tyler Lowenstein is the highest returning 2010 medalist. He tied for runner-up honors last year. Six additional medal-winners also return: Rogers senior McCabe Buege, fourth; Elk River/Zimmerman senior Chase Hahne and Moorhead junior Bryant Buckellew, who tied for sixth; Forest Lake sophomore Max Kelly, tied for 8th; and Roseville Area senior Sam Mathew and Eastview senior Max Tylke, who tied for 10th.
The Schedule
The Class AAA tournament will be played at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids. On Tuesday, June 14, the boys tee off at 7:30 a.m. on the No. 1 and No. 10 tees. The girls will begin their first round on the identical layouts at noon. The final rounds on Wednesday, June 15, will follow the same starting schedule, with a tee-time format that will pair players from competing teams with one another and individual qualifiers in comparable foursomes. The first five tee times on the No. 1 and No. 10 tees will include individual qualifiers. The 8:06 a.m. (boys) and the 12:36 p.m. (girls) tee times on the No. 1 and No. 10 tees will feature the best individual qualifiers as determined by their first-day scores. The individuals will be followed at 8:15 a.m. (boys) and 12:45 p.m. (girls) by the teams ranked in places 5-8 according to the first-day scores. The teams in places 1-4, as determined by their play on day one of the tournament, will begin play on the No. 1 and No. 10 tees at 9:00 a.m. (boys) and 12:45 p.m. (girls). The last boys’ foursome out at 9:00 a.m. on the No. 1 tee will feature the team players with the best first-day scores from the lowest-scoring four teams. The same format will be followed for the girls’ tournament with team players with the best first-day scores from the lowest-scoring four teams teeing off at 1:30 p.m.
The Class A tournament will be played at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker on June 15 and 16, and the Class AA tournament will be conducted at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan on June 15 and 16. On the first day of each tournament, the boys will start at 7:30 a.m. on the No. 1 and No. 10 tees at each location. The girls will follow at 11:40 a.m. on the same tees. The final rounds for both classes will follow the same foursome pairings and time schedule as the Class AAA tournament.
First-day tee times are posted on the League’s Web site — www.MSHSL.org.
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