ANN ARBOR — After having dominant teams the past few years, qualifying for the state girls golf tournament wasn’t a given for Brighton this fall.
A five-player lineup with four newcomers to postseason golf extended the program’s record of success by taking the third and final state berth from the Division 1 regional Tuesday at Polo Fields Golf and Country Club.
Brighton, ranked seventh in Division 1, shot 367 to clear fourth-place Ann Arbor Pioneer by 15 strokes.
Third-ranked Northville mastered the difficult Polo Fields layout with a 319, while unranked Ann Arbor Huron took second with a 358 to qualify for the first time since spring 2004.
Brighton has qualified for the state finals 18 of the past 20 seasons and five years in a row. The Bulldogs went as regional champions the last two years, finishing as Division 1 runners-up.
“To have sophomores on the team last year who would’ve played on a lot of different state teams, coming into this year they were ready,” Brighton coach Paul Parsell said. “That’s why we’re right back here.
“A lot of people talked about Pietilas on the team. Well, we had no Pietilas on the team. We lost our top four scorers from last year and we’re still back in the tournament. I’m very proud as a coach and as a program to kind of reload every year, as opposed to rebuilding every couple years.”
Senior Sydney Rauh and junior Charlotte Morley shot 89s to lead Brighton, tying for 11th. Junior Elle Krill tied for 15th with a 94, sophomore Kaila Oprisiu tied for 18th with a 95 and senior Elizabeth Lubowicki tied for 21st with a 98 for the Bulldogs.
Rauh was the only Brighton player with postseason experience.
“That was, I would say, the hardest course at a regional we’ve ever played,” Parsell said. “Some of the coaches were saying it was one of the hardest ones they’ve ever played, too. It was a very difficult course.
“It was the same for everyone, so no complaints of any sort. I was glad the girls were able to get through 18 holes.”
Northville will be difficult to beat for years to come, led by two freshmen who were the only players to break 80. Cam Baker shot 74 and McKenzie Stevens shot 79. The Mustangs had four of the top six players.
The Division 1 state tournament will be held Oct. 18-19 at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course.
RELATED: Elle Krill major contributor for Brighton golf after being left off state lineup last season
RELATED: Brighton senior back in form after shooting Livingston County’s lowest round of year
Division 1, Regional 6
Hartland finished fifth out of 11 teams with a 376 and Howell was 10th with a 412 at Forest Akers East in East Lansing.
Hartland freshman Payton Rohrhoff finished 12th with an 85, missing an individual state berth by one stroke. Howell junior Brooke Keller was 16th with a 91 and Hartland senior Gabby Nouhan tied for 17th with a 94.
Fourth-ranked Grand Blanc shot 324, top-ranked Okemos 329 and 10th-ranked Grand Ledge 339 to qualify as teams.
Division 3, Regional 17
Pinckney sophomore Katelyn Sanchez qualified individually for the state tournament by tying for 11th place with a 92 at Wolf Creek Golf Club in Adrian. The top three golfers not on qualifying teams advanced as individuals for the Division 3 finals Oct. 18-19 at Bedford Valley in Battle Creek.
Fowlerville senior Keira Mahon tied for 14th with a 95.
Pinckney finished sixth with a 410. Detroit Country Day won with a 347. Birmingham Marian (356) and Williamston (360) also qualified for the state tournament.
Contact Bill Khan at [email protected]. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Brighton takes third at regionals, returns to state girls golf finals
Read the full article here