Lady Hounds lower team score to finish sixth at state

With better rounds from all three of its first-time state qualifiers, the Lady Hound golf team improved by 20 strokes and finished the Class 1 State Tournament in sixth place Tuesday at Meadow Lake Acres Golf Course in New Bloomfield.

Maryville followed a round one score of 423 with a 403 to finish with a two-day total of 826.

The Hounds began the day in a sixth place tie with Moberly, but beat them by 19 strokes in the second round to gain sole possession of that spot.

It's one place ahead of where the Hounds were projected to finish based on sectional scores.

Maryville finished three strokes behind Richmond which made a 21-stroke improvement in the final round to finish with an 823.

The Hounds top individual finishers were seniors Jessica Pfost and Megan Shell.

Pfost shot 93 both days to finish in sole possession of 28th place, leaving her nine strokes short of being a two-time medalist. Pfost finished 12th at state last year by shooting a pair of 88's.

Shell landed two spots behind Pfost in a three-way tie for 29th place with a two-day total of 190. Shell shot a 96 in the second round after a first round 94.

Shell finished eight spots lower than last year, marking the first time in the last three years she didn't move up at state. She was 13 strokes away from being a medalist.

Maryville's three first-time state qualifiers combined to shoot 26 strokes better than the day before.

Freshman Mollie Holtman made a seven-stroke improvement to shoot a second round score of 107 for a two-day total of 221. She finished in 74th place and third on the team.

Junior Cassie Holtman shaved a whopping 17 strokes off her round one score of 124 to shoot 107 in the second round. Her two-day total of 231 moved her up into a tie for 80th place.

Sophomore Hannah Brod shot a final round score of 120—two strokes better than the day before—and finished in 86th place with a 242.

Westminster Christian won the team title for the second straight year with a score of 669. Despite being the only team that shot worse than the day before, Westminster increased its lead by 13 stokes over second place finisher Villa Duchesne who shot 731.

Sacred Heart held on to third place with a 743. Mt. Vernon stayed in fourth with a 785.

Westminster's Brooke Cusumano held off teammate Jordan Wolf to win the individual title with a two-day score of 154 (75-79). Wolf took second with a 157 (76-81).

Lafayette's Kaydrie Bergner was the lone medalist from the MEC, finishing in 12th place.

She started the day in 21st place, but moved up nine spots with her second round score of 84 that put her at 175 for the tournament.

Smithville's Paige Imhoff finished 26th with a two-day score of 185, one stroke ahead of Pfost.

Maryville graduates both Pfost and Shell who made a combined seven state tournament appearances in their careers. Cassie and Mollie Holtman return along with Brod.