Daily Chronicle 2022 Golfer of the Year: Kaneland’s Katharine Marshall

If there was a regular season match featuring Kaneland, Katharine Marshall was the medalist. If there was a tournament the senior was competing in, she was a top-10 finisher.

Throw in an undefeated conference championship – the third straight Interstate 8 title for the Knights since starting a program – and Marshall said she had close to the perfect season.

“It was pretty much everything I asked for,” Marshall said. “We went undefeated in all of our conference matches. Then we won conference for the third straight time. Made it through regional, made it through sectional, then top 10 in state. Pretty much everything I wanted for my senior year.”

Marshall averaged a 38 per nine holes this year and took sixth at the Class 2A state tournament to cap her prep career. For her effort, Marshall was named the 2022 Daily Chronicle Girls Golfer of the Year.

After her freshman season playing with the boys team, Marshall and teammates Julia Skiba and Emily Skiba got the ball rolling to start a girls golf team.

Three years later, she and Julia Skiba are leaving the school with three straight I8 titles.

“She’s one of the main reasons we have a team at all,” Kaneland coach Joe Hughes said. “Her and Julia Skiba, another senior, and Emily Skiba, her sister, petitioned to get a golf team started. Before that they played with the boys. They were able to make it work. We were really successful at the beginning and just got better each year.”

It peaked this year with a perfect showing in the conference. And for Marshall, it included a conference title this season.

“It was a journey, but it was definitely a good journey with ups and downs,” Marshall said. “I feel like everyone always said that, but most were ups and I’m thankful coach Joe took the position when we had an opening and I’m glad we had enough girls to start the first-ever girls golf team.”

Marshall shot a 73 each day at the state tournament, finishing eight strokes off the lead.

“I felt like I played great both days, which is rare,” Marshall said. “You play golf and you’re always like, ‘I could have made this putt, I could have made that putt.’ I honestly felt like I played the best I could both days.”

Next up for Marshall is her college career at Creighton. She said she fell in love with every aspect of the school and the program.

“The coach was amazing,” Marshall said. “Then I met some of the girls on the team, all super nice. Obviously, the campus was nice. It allowed for academics with a balance of athletics, which was a blessing. Pretty much everything about it was a definite yes.”

Hughes called Marshall’s season the best in school history, boys or girls. And that helped make Marshall the face of the team.

“She’s the person everyone knows,” Hughes said. “Whenever you talk about Kaneland golf, everybody is always ‘Do you know Katherine Marshall?’ Of course we do. Everyone does. She’s the kid everyone gravitates to, everyone likes being around. She has so much positive energy.”