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Fox Valley Conference
Burlington Central
Coach: Sean Meyer (second season)
Last season: Eighth at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Riya Gangavarapu, jr.; Gisele Shahzada, sr.
Key newcomers: Sydney Cavallari, jr.; Lexi Gibson, fr.
Worth noting: Three of Central’s top four scorers – Gangavarapu, Cavallari and Shahzada – from last year’s FVC Tournament return. The Rockets took eighth as a team but were two shots behind Jacobs for seventh. … Central did not have any sectional qualifiers. Gangavarapu came the closest, falling three shots shy of advancing. … “I have really been stressing to the girls to control what they can control and to take it hole by hole and sometimes shot by shot,” Meyer said. “I am looking forward to having a young group of girls who all have the ability to play well and hopefully can put some matches together as a team and pull away with some wins.”
Crystal Lake Central co-op
Coach: Kyle McCaughn (10th season)
Last season: FVC Tournament champion
Top returners: Delaney Medlyn, sr.; Madeline Trannel, sr.; Rylee Rud, jr.; Ella Nawracaj, jr.; Ryleigh Mazzacano, so.
Key newcomer: Cara Schroeder, fr.
Worth noting: The Tigers – a co-op with Cary-Grove and Crystal Lake South – won the FVC Tournament for the first time since 2018, posting four of the top 13 scores and beating runner-up McHenry by 14 shots. Medlyn, a Northwest Herald All-Area first-team choice, was third, Trannel (All-Area second team) was eighth, and Rud (honorable mention) was 13th. Medlyn, Trannel and Rud also earned All-FVC honors. ... Rud was runner-up in the McHenry County Junior Golf Association Girls Senior Player of the Year standings this summer. … The Tigers claimed the Class 2A Harlem Regional crown by 26 shots for the team’s first postseason title in seven years. … “We return a solid core of athletes that love to be together and work at their sport,” McCaughn said. “This team has some realistic expectations and goals and wants to put in the time and effort to achieve them. I am truly looking forward to the time we spend together as a team and to see the growth develop in front of us.”
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Dundee-Crown
Coach: Emma Ageneau (fifth season)
Last season: Sixth at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Sophie Morawski, sr.; Audrey Zimmerman, sr.; Kaelyn Van Esch, sr.
Worth noting: The Chargers took sixth in the FVC for the second year in a row and were led by Morawski and grad Magen Laas. Morawski and Laas earned All-Area honorable mention and were All-FVC selections. Morawski was the team’s lone sectional qualifier, tying for fifth at regionals with an 85. ... “We are coming off our most successful season, and we’re excited to build on last year,” Ageneau said. “We return three key varsity players – Morawski, Zimmerman and Van Esch – who we are expecting to have great seasons.”
Hampshire
Coach: Eric Samuelson (fifth season)
Last season: Third at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Jaina Farnam, sr.; Brookelynn Kehl, sr.; Kaylee Seo, sr.; Madison Bilek, jr.; Maddie Franz, jr.; Ava Janiec, jr.; Madison Sawisch, jr.; Kendall Green, so.; Angelina Lia, so.; Jordyn Penkaty, so.
Key newcomers: Mia DeLeo, jr.; Shelby Walsh, jr.; Lyla Abdul-Haqq, so.; Danica Featherly, so.; Estancia Arenas, fr.; Riley Baumann, fr.; Riley Hege, fr.
Worth noting: Franz and Seo earned All-Area honorable mention for the Whip-Purs, who finished third in the FVC after placing fourth in 2022. Seo and Franz were sixth and seventh, respectively, at the FVC Tournament and both qualified for sectionals, along with Bilek. All three were named to the All-FVC team. ... Hampshire was fourth at the Class 2A Sycamore Regional, nine shots shy of qualifying for sectionals as a team. ... “We are fortunate to return a number of our varsity and JV golfers, as well as welcome seven newcomers this year,” Samuelson said. “We hope to be competitive when it counts.”
Huntley
Coach: Lindsey Allen (second season)
Last season: Fourth at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Maddie Sloan, sr.; Kinsey Hayes, so.
Key newcomer: Miranda Hoeft, fr.
Worth noting: Sloan was an All-Area honorable mention pick and qualified for sectionals for the third year in a row. She placed ninth at the FVC Meet and earned All-FVC honors. This summer, Sloan won the MCJGA’s Girls Senior Player of the Year. … Hayes was the team’s lone freshman on varsity last season for the Red Raiders. … Hoeft and Hayes placed second and third, respectively, in the MCGJA Girls Junior Player of the Year standings. Hayes also played in five girls senior division events. … “We have a wonderful mix of seasoned veterans and newcomers,” Allen said. “I am so excited to see how the girls join together and make a great team. Maddie Sloan will lead the team in her senior year. Kinsey Hayes has been working hard all summer and has shown tremendous improvement. And look out for Miranda Hoeft. She has also shown great passion for the game.”
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Jacobs
Coach: Paul Anderson (fourth season)
Last season: Seventh at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Nicole Heims, jr., Natalie Zimmerman, so.
Worth noting: Zimmerman earned All-Area honorable mention as a freshman and had the team’s best postseason finish as a sectional qualifier. Zimmerman and Heims both earned All-FVC honors. ... Jacobs finished two shots ahead of Burlington Central for seventh in the FVC. ... “We have an experienced team who has worked extremely hard to improve their games, and it has shown on the course this summer,” Anderson said. “Our goal is always to win a regional and advance to state. I feel we are inching closer to those goals. We’ll rely on our co-captains Nicole Heims and Natalie Zimmerman to push this team to new heights.”
McHenry
Coach: Sean Sterner (12th season)
Last season: FVC Tournament runner-up
Top returners: Kilynn Axelson, sr.; Jennifer Henry, sr.; Emma Hertel, sr.; Abby Powers, jr.
Key newcomer: Abby Shoemaker, so.
Worth noting: The Warriors graduated their top golfer, Madison Donovan, who was the FVC points champion and made the All-Area first team for a third time. Donovan was runner-up at the conference meet with a 78 and was a four-time sectional qualifier. ... McHenry took second at the Class 2A Harlem Regional to advance to sectionals as a team for the first time since 2016. The Warriors finished second at the FVC Tournament for the second year in a row. ... Henry was an All-FVC selection. ... “We are excited to return four out of our top six golfers,” Sterner said. “Looking forward to seeing the girls grow throughout the year and hopefully play their best when it matters the most.”
Prairie Ridge
Coach: Jeanine Stantesly (fifth season)
Last season: Fifth at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Jenna Albanese, sr.; Grace Mertel, jr.; Lily Myers, jr.
Key newcomers: Hannah Coss, jr.; Lily Kerley, so.; Carly Koeppen, fr.
Worth noting: Albanese was the 2023 Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year and the only local golfer to qualify for the Class 2A state tournament. Albanese tied for 40th at state with an 83-79-162, won the FVC Tournament individual championship with a 77, tied for seventh at regionals and took one of the final two state-qualifying spots at the Burlington Central Sectional with a 77. ... Albanese and Mertel earned All-FVC honors. Mertel also was a sectional qualifier. ... Prairie Ridge took fourth at regionals, seven shots behind the third-place finisher. ... “Led by Jenna Albanese and Grace Mertel, we hope to have a competitive season,” Stantesly said. “Lily Myers, Lily Kerley, Hannah Coss and Carly Koeppen are multisport athletes who should card some good scores for us.”
Kishwaukee River Conference
Johnsburg
Coach: Chris O’Niel (16th season)
Last season: KRC Tournament runner-up
Top returners: Addison Sweetwood, so.; Lauren McQuiston, jr.
Key newcomers: Maddie Ten Bruin, sr.; London Baidinger, jr.; Elaina Moss, jr.; Jacquelyn Douglas, jr.
Worth noting: The Skyhawks were third at the Class 1A Trinity Regional to qualify for sectionals as a team for the 10th consecutive season. ... The Skyhawks had six golfers named to the All-KRC team, including McQuiston and Sweetwood. Johnsburg took 10th at sectionals. ... “We have quite a bit of turnover this year and are looking to improve each match in order to prepare for the conference and state series,” O’Niel said. “We have a lot of work to do in order to get back to sectionals for an 11th straight year. I am excited to watch the team get better each week and hopefully be playing our best golf come October.”
Marengo
Coach: Chad Olson (seventh season)
Last season: KRC Tournament champion
Top returners: Gabby Gieseke, sr.; Vivian Szostak, sr.; Maggie Hanson, so.; Charlotte Machac, so.
Worth noting: The Indians won back-to-back KRC championships with a 405, beating runner-up Johnsburg by 13 shots. They went on to win their first regional championship at the Class 1A Marengo Regional, defeating second-place Rockford Lutheran by 15 shots. ... Emma Leucht, who graduated, was Marengo’s No. 1 golfer. She was named to the All-Area second team and was the KRC Girls Golfer of the Year. ... Hanson placed runner-up at the KRC Tournament as a freshman. ... Gieseke and Hanson were named to the All-KRC team. ... “After losing two key seniors to graduation, we will be needing to lean on Gabby and Vivian for leadership while looking for strong play from our group of underclassmen,” Olson said.
Richmond-Burton
Coach: Rich Petska (second season)
Last season: Third at KRC Tournament
Top returners: Meadow Rosendahl, sr.; Sofia Nagel, sr.; Alyssa Beres, sr.; Emily Porreca, jr.; Darsha Sergeeva, jr.; Emma Lindsey, so.; Ava Strzalka, so.
Key newcomer: Julia Londberg, fr.
Worth noting: Rosendahl was the lone All-KRC pick for the Rockets, who placed third at the conference meet after not having enough golfers to qualify for a team score in 2022. Rosendahl was the team’s lone sectional qualifier after she missed by one shot the year before. “This is a hardworking group of young ladies,” Petska said. “We have a great mix of senior leadership and youth on this team. They showed a lot of growth last year that is going to carry over to this season.”
Woodstock North co-op
Coach: Casey Rhode (first season)
Last season: Did not compete
Top returners: Angela Pecoraro, so.; Mary Spinelli, so.
Key newcomers: Brooklynn Hopp, fr.; Lilly Levato, fr.; Brynnlee Shulda, fr. Giamy Tran, fr.; Ava Caldwell, jr.
Worth noting: Woodstock North’s co-op with Woodstock will compete for the first time as a full girls team. In previous years, the girls competed with the boys during the regular season and then individually in the postseason. “We’re a young team with a lot of heart, ready to have fun.” Rohde said. “We are also ready to make history as the first full girls golf team to come out of Woodstock.”
Chicagoland Christian Conference
Marian Central
Coach: Bryan Smith (second season)
Last season: Third at CCC Tournament
Top returners: Nina Notaro, sr.; Lucia Schneck, so.
Key newcomers: Dakota Norwick, so.; Zoe Karlen, fr.; Jordan Cheng, fr.
Worth noting: The Hurricanes will miss the leadership and scoring of graduate Ella Notaro, an All-Area first-team pick the past two seasons. Notaro advanced to state for the second year in a row, placing 21st at the 1A tournament with an 85-80-165. She won the inaugural CCC Tournament and placed first at the McHenry County Tournament. ... Nina Notaro, an All-Area second-team pick, also advanced to state, tying for 31st with a 90-83-173. She took third at the CCC Tournament, tied for third at regionals and tied for seventh at sectionals. ... “Marian Central will have a small and young team this year, but I’m looking forward to further developing the program,” Smith said. “I hope to strengthen the girls’ understanding of course management and grow their love of the game.”