Bettis defends Upstate Eight title
The most imaginative minds in Hollywood would have had a hard time authoring a script as heartwarming as the girls Upstate Eight Conference golf meet in West Chicago on Tuesday.
Waubonsie Valley senior Michelle Meifert, four weeks removed from emergency surgery to remove a massive benign tumor, returned to lead the defending champions to the tournament title.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, their regular-season dual-meet losses to Neuqua Valley and St. Charles East put the overall championship spotlight on their two rivals.
The Wildcats and Saints were 4 shots behind the winning 342 total by Waubonsie Valley, but Neuqua Valley earned its first league title in five years from its fifth card.
"I had to push the doctor to up my release date," said Meifert, who fired a front-nine 38 as part of her career-low-tying round of 82. "I'm not allowed to lift anything over five pounds. I was very nervous this morning. I was shaking on the first tee (No. 3 in the shotgun start)."
"After I heard what Michelle did, it lifted me," said Waubonsie Valley senior Tory Blumenshine (82).
"Michelle was the highlight of the day," said Waubonsie Valley coach Laura Jones.
The peculiarity of the day extended to the battle for individually supremacy as well.
The Wildcats' two-time state qualifier, junior Hannah Buck, was the league bridesmaid her first two seasons, settling for runner-up each time by a mere stroke.
On the other hand, St. Charles North senior standout Brooke Bettis was intent on defending her crown from last season.
The North Stars' state veteran opened with a vengeance, capping her outward-nine, 3-birdie performance with back-to-back red numbers to close out the front side in a sweltering 33.
"That was a really good nine," said Bettis. "Everything went how I wanted it to."
Bettis was mortal on the back side, though, and Buck, who had a 1-over 36 on the front, made her move with a 2-putt birdie on the par-5 15th.
"That was when I realized how close I was (to Bettis)," said Buck.
Bettis maintained her lead of a stroke entering the 18th hole, and both players settled for bogey at the last, which meant Bettis had defended her title over Buck for the second straight year.
"That is probably the most intense round I've had this year," said Bettis, who finished with a 74. "I knew exactly where I stood (on 18)."
"The way (Bettis) was playing, I thought she was going to beat me by more than one," said Buck.
For St. Charles East, junior Rachael Edwards played her final seven holes in 2-under-par to lead her squad with a third-place 78.
"The birdie on (No.) 12 really got my game going," said Edwards. "On the back side, I was really sticking my irons."
Jenny Niemiec (85), Gina Greco (91) and Nicole Rae (92) rounded out the Saints' scoring.
"Anything can happen in the last 18-hole conference meet," said St. Charles East coach Rod Osborne. "I think (Edwards) likes the back (nine) better than the front."
St. Charles East, third overall, was followed in fourth place by St. Charles North, which had Marin Beagley (92), Molly Fremgen (94) and Miranda Fencl (95) augment Bettis' championship effort.