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Fox Valley Conference
Burlington Central
Coach: Kyle Nelson (seventh season)
Last season: FVC Tournament champions
Top returners: Maya Gusciora, sr.; McKenna Berglind, jr.
Key newcomer: Natalia Gusciora, fr.
Worth noting: The Rockets won their first FVC championship in program history, going 7-1 in duals, and posted four of the top-10 scores at the FVC tournament. Burlington defeated Huntley by 14 shots to win the title. Maya Gusciora took third with an 85. Burlington’s other top scorers – Emily Koh (runner-up, 84), Kelsey O’Conner (tied for fourth, 87) and Teagan O’Connor (10th, 91) – graduated. … Gusciora was seventh in the final FVC points standings, which combine dual meets and the conference tournament. She was named Northwest Herald All-Area honorable mention. … Burlington qualified for sectionals as a team for the first time.
Crystal Lake Central co-op
(with Cary-Grove and Crystal Lake South)
Coach: Kyle McCaughn (seventh season)
Last season: Fourth at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Addison Cleary, so.; Ella Smith, jr.; Emma Podpora, jr.; Karolynn Maxwell, jr.
Key newcomers: Delaney Medlyn, fr.; Estrella Bernal, so.; Madeline Trannel, fr.
Worth noting: The Tigers graduated their top golfer, Renata Petersen, (Northern Illinois), who earned medalist honors at the FVC tournament and ended the regular season as the FVC points champion for the second year in a row. She finished as a sectional qualifier all four years on varsity and was a finalist for Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year. … Delaney Medlyn, a freshman at Cary-Grove, won the McHenry County Junior Golf Associations’ Girls Senior Player of the Year this summer. … “We will be very young this year, but the girls have come into the season ready to work and improve each and every day,” McCaughn said. “These are great student-athletes, and I am blessed to be able to coach them.”
Dundee-Crown
Coach: Emma Ageneau (second season)
Last season: Eighth at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Sonora Rodriguez, sr.; Lydia Rodriguez, jr.; Magen Laas, so.
Key newcomer: Sophie Morawski, fr.
Worth noting: Sonora Rodriguez, Lydia Rodriguez and Laas all scored at last year’s FVC tournament, giving the Chargers more experience this year than in recent seasons. … D-C trailed Hampshire by nine shots at conference. … “With so many returners, we are really looking forward to building on last season and continuing to improve,” Ageneau said.
Hampshire
Coach: Eric Samuelson (second season)
Last season: Seventh at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Lorna Bachta, so.; Lily Farnam, jr.; Mary Goad, so.; Reagan Green, jr.; Amina Hatanaka, sr.; Avery Tirado, jr.; Karolina Wegiel, jr.
Key newcomers: Diane Chojnowski, jr.; Jaina Farnam, fr.; Hannah Featherly, jr.; Malaika Khan, jr.; Mikaella Moraga, fr.; Kaylee Seo, fr.
Worth noting: The Whip-Purs were nine shots behind Jacobs at the FVC tournament and return only one player who counted in the team scoring (Lily Farnam). Hampshire was seventh for the second year in a row. ... Hampshire graduated six seniors, including both of the team’s All-FVC members, Julia Bachta and Maisie McNamee. … Samuelson likes the way his team has come together already. … “We are really excited to coach this group this season,” Samuelson said. “They have a ton of upside, great attitudes and are already bonding quite well, both on and off the course. In-match experience is something we lack, but they’re up for the challenge.”
Huntley
Coach: Ann Christiansen (13th season)
Last season: FVC Tournament runner-up
Top returners: Aubrey Dingbaum, so.; Victoria Hassels, sr.; Hallie Holmes, sr.; Abby Goraj, sr.; Abby Panier, jr., Haley Szramek, sr.
Key newcomer: Maddie Sloan, fr.
Worth noting: The Red Raiders graduated six, including three sectional qualifiers: Molly Baker, Nina Shaffer and Lorelei Oomens. That trio took sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, at the FVC meet. Kendall Krich, another graduate, and Dingbaum also captured All-FVC honors. Dingbaum took 11th at the meet. Huntley finished second as a team, 14 shots behind Burlington Central after beating the Rockets during their regular-season dual. ... Shaffer fired a 79 and tied for sixth at sectionals, the best finish among local players. ... Shaffer and Baker earned All-Area second-team honors. ... “We are very young this year, but we’re very capable of shooting well,” Christiansen said.
Jacobs
Coach: Paul Anderson (first season)
Last season: Sixth at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Autumn Kovach, sr.; Lana Tousey, sr.
Worth noting: Anderson takes over for Megan Ingold, who coached the Golden Eagles for the past seven years. … Jacobs lost its top golfer, Jordan Miller, to graduation. Miller was the team’s lone All-FVC member and earned All-Area honorable mention. ... Kovach and Tousey scored at the FVC meet as the team’s top returners. … “We are a team looking to improve each invite and match, and, in the end, be better than we were in the beginning,” Anderson said.
McHenry
Coach: Sean Sterner (ninth season)
Last season: Third at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Madison Donovan, so; Aubree Lundin, jr.; Shania Houston, jr.; Brooke Shubert, jr.
Key newcomers: Kilynn Axelson, fr.; Alison Ahrens, so.; Samantha Britton, jr.; Jennifer Henry, fr.
Worth noting: Madison Donovan had a strong debut, tying for eighth at the FVC tournament and finishing the season sixth in the FVC points standings. She qualified for sectionals, taking the last of four individual-qualifying spots, and tied for 14th with an 81. … Donovan, an All-Area second-team member, and Lundin each earned All-FVC honors. … “We are a young team, but the girls have bought in and genuinely love playing golf,” Sterner said. “Madison Donovan and Aubree Lundin played in a lot of tournaments over the summer and bring experience to the team. Really excited to see the girls grow and improve throughout the season.”
Prairie Ridge
Coach: Jeanine Stantesly (second season)
Last season: Fifth at FVC Tournament
Top returners: Elizabeth Tucker, sr.; Brianna Baron, sr.; Brooke Benjamin, jr.; Abby Kay, jr.; Heather Mead, jr.
Key newcomers: Ella Olas, so.; Ella Giffin, so.; Jenna Albanese, fr.
Worth noting: The Wolves will have one of the more experienced teams in the FVC, led by Tucker, an All-Area second-team member as a junior. Tucker placed fourth at conference (87), third at regionals (82) and tied for 14th at sectionals (81). She placed second in the FVC points standings. Prairie Ridge was four shots behind Central co-op for fourth at the conference tournament, with Kay also contributing to the team score. ... “With Elizabeth Tucker leading the way, we should be competitive in every match we play,” Stantesly said. “We look forward to playing in several invitationals after so many cancellations last season.”
Kishwaukee River Conference
Johnsburg
Coach: Chris O’Niel (13th season)
Last season: KRC Tournament champions
Top returner: Riley Klotz, jr.
Key newcomers: Lana Bowers, jr.; Amber Smith, sr.; Mackenzie McQuiston, so.
Worth noting: The Skyhawks won their first KRC championship and won a Class 1A regional title, led by graduate Ellie Johnson, the 2020 Northwest Herald Girls Golfer of the Year. Johnson won her third straight individual title at the KRC tournament, shot a 78 at regionals to take first and ended her career with a third-place finish at sectionals with a 79. ... Johnsburg won its second regional title in three years and took sixth at sectionals. It has gone to sectionals in seven straight seasons. ... Four of the Skyhawks’ top golfers graduated, including Gracie Berthoud, Hailey Bullamore, Taylor Blake and Savannah Prouty. Klotz was an All-KRC member. ... “We are proud of getting to sectionals seven years running, and I believe our girls are up to the task to improve as the season progresses to have another shot at it again,” O’Niel said.
Marengo
Coach: Chad Olson (fourth season)
Last season: Fourth at KRC Tournament
Top returner: Mary Grace Reed, sr.
Key newcomers: Alexa Calbow, jr.; Lilly Kunzer, so.; Gabrielle Gieseke, fr.
Worth noting: The Indians didn’t have any All-KRC golfers last season but Olson likes the potential of his team, as they enter the year with some new up-and-comers. “This is a young team with a lot of potential,” Olson said. ... Reed recorded the best finish at the KRC tournament for Marengo.
Richmond-Burton
Coach: Brandon Creason (13th season)
Last season: Third at KRC Tournament
Top returners: Makenna Donohoe, sr.; Sierra Simecek, sr.; Meg Miltimore, sr.; Sammi Binkley, jr.; Kendall Krashoc, so.
Key newcomers: Meadow Rosendahl, fr.; Sofia Nagel, fr.
Worth noting: The Rockets graduated their No. 1 golfer, Alaina Robinson, who was an All-Area honorable mention selection and who finished fourth at the KRC Tournament. Donohoe, who took 10th, and Simecek also contributed to the team score at conference. ... Creason said he likes his team’s mix entering the fall. “The Rockets have four experienced golfers with two talented freshmen added to the team,” Creason said.
East Suburban Catholic Conference
Marian Central
Coach: Hannah Ogden (first season)
Last season: Fifth at ESCC Tournament
Top returners: Ava Notaro, sr.; Ella Notaro, so.; Jordyn Kratochvil, jr.
Key newcomers: Nina Notaro, fr.; Sidney Gerstenkorn, jr.
Worth noting: Ogden takes over for Erin Carver, who led the Hurricanes for the past six seasons. Ogden graduated from McHenry West and played four years at Olivet Nazarene. ... Marian’s No. 1 golfer, Lauren McNulty, graduated. She was an All-Area first-team selection after placing runner-up at the ESCC Tournament with a 77 and earning all-conference honors for the fourth straight season. She took fourth at regionals with an 82 and tied for ninth at sectionals with an 84. ... Marian qualified for sectionals as a team and finished fifth. Ava and Ella Notaro both had counting scores at regionals, with Ella’s 87 the fifth best among all golfers. ... “The Marian Central girls golf team is looking forward to a fun year with some fresh faces,” Ogden said. “We have a challenging schedule, but we’re ready to work hard. Our goal is to advance to sectionals as a team again.”