Girls golf: Delaney Medlyn, Crystal Lake Central co-op win McHenry County Tournament titles

BULL VALLEY – Crystal Lake Central co-op’s Delaney Medlyn won the McHenry County Tournament as a sophomore and was determined to add another first-place medal to her collection in her last high school season.

Medlyn, who goes to Cary-Grove, had the best day of any golfer Thursday, carding a 4-over-par 75 to earn her second county title at Boone Creek Golf Club and lead the Tigers to the team title for the third year in a row.

[ Photos: 2024 McHenry County Girls Golf Tournament ]

Central co-op, which combines with C-G and Crystal Lake South, won the team title by 32 shots with a 338. Prairie Ridge (370) placed runner-up, Jacobs (371) took third, Huntley (378) took fourth and McHenry (379) was fifth.

Marian Central was sixth with a 395, followed by Johnsburg (403), Marengo (409), Richmond-Burton (468) and Woodstock North co-op (476).

“Year 3 in a row, so everyone is super excited. Senior year, we had to keep it going,” said Medlyn, who had a birdie and 12 pars in her round. “A lot of these schools we play in conference, so getting everybody together, it’s always super fun.”

Medlyn said her driver was doing most of the work Thursday. “I was bombing drives,” she said.

Medlyn could have had an even better day, but a long putt on the Prairie course went in and out. It didn’t matter as she still won the individual title by three shots.

Prairie Ridge senior Jenna Albanese was runner-up with a 78, and Marian Central senior Nina Notaro (80) took third.

Crystal Lake Central co-op posted four of the top-12 scores to take the trophy. Senior Madeline Trannel had an 85 to place fifth and junior Rylee Rud (86) was sixth. Sophomore Ryleigh Mazzacano (92) tied for 12th to round out the scoring for the Tigers.

Medlyn believes the Tigers are starting to find their groove.

“This is the point in the season where it’s time to hone in on what’s not working and figure out how to make our games better because so many important things are coming up fast,” Medlyn said. “We all take it pretty seriously.”

Albanese, the 2023 Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year, said her putting let her down Thursday, although she still managed to knock in a 25-foot putt to save par and a 30-foot putt for birdie.

“A 78′s not bad, but I should have done better, considering the three last holes is where I really struggled,” Albanese said. “Overall, I thought I played pretty well. It was just my putting that threw me off. The greens were really fast today.”

Notaro, whose sister Ella won the county title last year, said it’s been a big adjustment without her sister, who is now a two-sport athlete at NCAA Division III Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.

“I miss my sister a lot, but the team is doing really good this year,” Nina Notaro said. “I’m really excited and hope I make it to state this year because going down last year with Ella was just the coolest thing. We kept each other on our toes a lot, we would do little competitions together.

“I struggled on the first few holes today, but then I turned it around because I just wanted to have fun. The greens were really tough for me, but I just stuck it out and did my best, which is all you can do.”

Also receiving medals for placing in the top 10 were Huntley sophomore Kinsey Hayes (fourth place, 85), Huntley senior Maddie Sloan (seventh, 88), Johnsburg junior Lauren McQuiston (eighth, 88) Jacobs freshman Bianca Ramirez (ninth, 88) and Marian Central freshman Jordan Cheng (10th, 90).

Jacobs’ Emma Skarosi (91) was 11th, and Prairie Ridge’s Grace Mertel, Marengo’s Maggie Hanson and McHenry’s Abby Powers tied for 12th with 92s.

Hayes had her best high school tournament finish with an 85. At last year’s county meet, she shot in the high 90s.

“I was just hoping to break 90 today,” Hayes said. “Everything worked out today. My putting was really good, and it just all came together. It’s not a course I’m too familiar with, so just being able to have that experience at different courses is awesome.

“Everyone’s so supportive and it really helps, especially when you’re on the course and you see your teammates and everyone is hyping each other up.”