Golf: Lincoln-Way West’s Kaylee Dwyer wins state title, Lemont boys take 2nd

Lincoln-Way West senior Kaylee Dwyer finished her round at the Class 2A state finals then had a long wait to see if her score would be good enough.

It was.

Dwyer’s two-round score of even par 144 at Hickory Point in Decatur made her the Class 2A state champion as she finished two shots ahead of Benet’s Jenna Shilts.

“I don’t think I can put it into words,” Dwyer said. “I got off 18 and I had to wait for over an hour. That was so nerve-wracking, more nerve-wracking than being out on the course. When it was official, I cried.

“I won state. That’s insane, it’s not real. I’ve won a few tournaments, but this is the best.”

Dwyer is the first golf state champion in Lincoln-Way West history and the third individual champion in any sport for the school, joining bowlers Morgan Flaherty and Josh Glover.

“When it was official, I cried. I won state. That’s insane, it’s not real.”

—  Kaylee Dwyer, Lincoln-Way West senior

Dwyer, who is set to continue her golf career at Western Kentucky, tied for sixth at state last season.

“I just kept bouncing back and forth,” Dwyer said of her even par score. “I’d get a bogey but then a birdie. My putting was the best that it’s ever been. The wind was hard to play in, but I made it work.

“I had an up-and-down putt on 16 for par. Then I birdied 17, which was big, and got par on 18.”

Lockport senior Gianna White (157) tied for 26th, while Lincoln-Way Central senior Sarah Arsich (163) tied for 45th.

In Class 1A, Seneca freshman Piper Stenzel (174) tied for 33rd.

Boys golf: Lemont barely qualified for the second day at the Class 2A state finals at Weibring Golf Club in Normal. With eight teams advancing from round one, Lemont finished Friday tied for eighth.

On Saturday, however, Lemont moved up the scoreboard, outscoring every other team in the field by at least 15 strokes. The team skyrocketed all the way to second place, finishing as the state runner-up with a score of 626, behind only Sacred Heart-Griffin (623).

Senior Eddie Scott (149) finished eighth, with his younger brother, sophomore Joey (151,) right behind in a tie for ninth to lead Lemont. Robert Politza (153) tied for 19th, while Aidan Leonard (89 on Friday) and Matthew Devoy (84 on Saturday) also contributed.

It’s the best finish in program history and second state trophy for Lemont, which just missed out with fourth-place finishes each of the past two years.

“It’s hard to even put into words what they accomplished,” Lemont coach Mark Hollatz said. “It’s the best finish the school has ever had, and how we did it was just phenomenal. I give all the credit to the kids. They just did not quit.”

At the Class 3A finals at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington, Lincoln-Way Central senior Benjamin Howey’s two-day total of 151 was good for a tie for 16th. Lincoln-Way East senior Tanner Mitchell (153) tied for 20th, Plainfield North junior Casey Sanborn and Lockport senior Ben Sluzas (159) tied for 35th, and Plainfield South senior Aiden O’Sullivan (160) tied for 41st.