New faces on the links as boys, girls golf tee it up

Published 10:00 am Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Jamie Neill, Katie Saucier among the returnees for their respective squads.

Both of the Bainbridge golf teams are going through some changes this year as they try to make it back to state.

Last year, the boys team lost to O’Dea by one stroke in their hunt to repeat as Metro League champs.

Austin Hurt went on to win the District 2 championship as he and Jamie Neill qualified for state.

Hurt finished second to Clarkston’s Joel Dahmen while Neill finished 27th to Lynden’s Graham Kent.

The girls won the Metro championship but only Katie Saucier made it back to state as she finished third in the District 2 meet.

She went on to place sixth behind Paige Rachor of Bellingham and Brittany Tallmann of Issaquah at the state tournament.

Both Neill and Saucier return as the team captains of squads with new talent.

The boys, without the services of Austin Hurt, Paul DeBarros and Ricky Ulloa who all graduated, will consist of a lineup of Neill, juniors Peter Leslie and Sean Leonard and sophomore Kyle Hurt, Austin’s younger brother.

Freshmen Kyle Schneider and Jack Seidl round out the varsity.

Dwyer expects junior Will de van Der schueren to make some matches with seniors David Botefuhr and Zachary Cram in the mix as well.

“We lost two real solid players (in DeBarros and Ulloa) but we have two freshman (Seidl and Schneider) that are playing at sub-80 level,” head coach Bob Dwyer said. “They should step in and play varsity and be very competitive.

“Our four, five and six guys are going to be very good, too. They’ve all improved and had a lot of summer tournament play and a lot of practice.”

The girls, who lost Rachel Frease to graduation, have a lineup of Saucier, freshman Anna Bourland, junior Melanie Trygg and sophomores Analise Herr and Ryan Nottingham.

Freshmen Jenna Knell, Peyton Lunzer and Rebecca Sharar are the newest members of the team.

Head coach Steve Nielsen has been impressed with Bourland’s play.

“It’s nice to have a freshman come out” and perform the way she has, Nielsen said.

He also liked how hard the team has worked in the offseason.

“They’re all good friends,” Nielsen said. “After practice is over they keep right on playing, so they’re going to improve in a hurry.”

Trygg is ready to start anew.

She was disqualified at the Metro tournament last year for making a mistake on the unplayable rule.

“I was pretty shook up about it for a while,” she said. “But I’m ready to start a new season fresh. I’m pretty much back to where I was at the end of last season.”

The boys main rival remains O’Dea, while Seattle Prep and Eastside Catholic are in the mix as well.

Seattle Prep and state champ Katrina Hegge will be the biggest threat to the girls repeating as league champs.

The boys played an exhibition match yesterday at Wing Point against state champ Mercer Island.

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Spartan boys golf

9/18 – Seattle Prep/Eastside Catholic/West Seattle at Wing Point, 3 p.m.

9/20 – O’Dea/Eastside Catholic/Rainier Beach-Cleveland at Jefferson Municipal, Seattle, 3 p.m.

9/25 – Bishop Blanchet/Chief Sealth/Rainier Beach-Cleveland at Wing Point, 3 p.m.

9/27 – Nathan Hale/West Seattle/Seattle Prep at Jefferson Municipal, Seattle, 3 p.m.

10/2 – Lakeside/O’Dea/Seattle Prep, Wing Point, 3 p.m.

10/4 – Seattle Prep/O’Dea/Chief Sealth at Jackson Municipal, Seattle, 3 p.m.

10/9 – Nathan Hale/Ingraham, Wing Point, 3 p.m.

10/11 – Lakeside/Bishop Blanchet/Ingraham at West Seattle Municipal, 3 p.m.

10/17 – Metro Boys Championship – first round, West Seattle Golf Course, 9:30 a.m.

10/19 – Metro Championship – final round, Jefferson Municipal, Seattle, 9 a.m.

10/23 – 3A Sea-King District 2 tournament – Riverbend Golf Complex, Kent, 9 a.m.

May 2007 – 3A state tournament, Bellingham, course and times TBA

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Spartan girls golf

9/19 – Seattle Prep/Eastside Catholic, Wing Point, 3 p.m.

9/21 – Holy Names/Eastside Catholic/Rainier Beach-Cleveland at Jefferson Municipal, 3 p.m.

9/26 – Bishop Blanchet/Chief Sealth/Rainier Beach-Cleveland, Wing Point, 3 p.m.

9/28 – Seattle Prep/Nathan Hale/West Seattle at Jefferson Municipal, 3 p.m.

10/3 – Lakeside/Holy Names/Seattle Prep at Wing Point, 3 p.m.

10/5 – Seattle Prep/Holy Names/Chief Sealth at Jackson Municipal, 3 p.m.

10/10 – Nathan Hale/Ingraham at Wing Point, 3 p.m.

10/12 – Lakeside/Bishop Blanchet/Ingraham, 3 p.m.

10/18 – Metro Girls Championship – first round at West Seattle Municipal, 9 a.m.

10/19 – Metro Championship, Jefferson Municipal, 9 a.m.

May 2007 – 3A Sea-King District 2 tournament, Riverbend Golf Complex, Kent

May 2007 – 3A state tournament, Bellingham, course and times TBA