Lansing Catholic did it again: another Division 4 state golf title.
Led by Jacqueline Setas, the Cougars accomplished what most people expected them to, after having another dominant season on the course.
In the Division 4 state tournament October 19-20 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West, Lansing Catholic shot rounds of 344 and 341 for 685 total, finishing well ahead of second place Hackett Catholic Central, which had 749.
Setas was edged out for medalist honors. She had rounds of 78 and 75 but lost to Aya Johnson of Muskegon Catholic Central in the first playoff hole.
“I thought I performed solid. A 78 the first day is not a great number for me,” Setas said. “But 75 I thought was a great comeback.
“Conditions Friday were brutal. It was cold, windy, and rainy. That may have affected my score a little bit. But I should have played better for sure.”
Setas said her short game was strong over the weekend.
“Friday, my first seven holes, I hit one green. I got up and down five times. That was the most crucial part of my game, especially with the conditions Friday. Saturday my game, it was probably putting. I made a big putt on 16 for birdie to get one last birdie before 17 and 18.”
She admitted being somewhat disappointed that she did not take first place as an individual.
“Losing in the playoffs didn’t sit well with me,” Setas said. “But Aya is a great player. She’s a good friend. That made everything a lot better, I think.”
In the regionals, Setas lost to Kaitlyn Watkins of Frankenmuth, who shot a 162 at the state meet.
For Lansing Catholic, Setas was followed by Janie Fineis, a senior who shot 82 and 80 for 162; Danielle Crilley, a senior who shot 78 and 85 for 163; Mary Beth Maddalena at 106 and 106 for 212; and Lauren Burnett at 119 and 101 for 220.
“I think this year was definitely the best,” Setas said. “Last year, we had four players who could be in the 70s. This year we had three. We needed a good score from our No. 4 or 5. That was crucial. That made it more special.
“I thought we performed well. We actually beat our scores from last year. Overall, our performance was really good. ”
The only school that beat Lansing Catholic during the season was Plymouth, which wound up taking the Division 1 title.
A year ago in the state tournament, Lansing Catholic had rounds of 329 and 324 for 653. They won the title easily, with Powers Catholic shooting rounds of 352 and 364 for 716.
Setas and Crilley tied for third last season with totals of 160. Fineis was also on the team and shot a 172.
Setas will play basketball in the winter but get back to golf in the spring and play tournaments in the summer.
“I’ll be trying to narrow down the school or colleges to go to,” she said.
Setas is looking ahead to 2013 with hopes the Cougars can take home another title.
“It’s a possibility,” she said “We have to get our crucial No. 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 next year. We can do it for sure, but everyone will have to work hard.”
Mary Schafer has been the coach of all three state-title teams. “It’s hard to compare the three, it’s like comparing your three children,” she smiled. “I think this week, because we were ranked first the whole year; last year everyone was thinking about it. It put more pressure on you. Everyone knows when we got to a tournament that they almost expect us to win. Winning one is not easy, winning two is harder, and winning three is even harder.
“It was very satisfying. My two seniors, along with Jacqueline, had a huge season. She’ll be back.”
Maddalena and Brunett are also returning.
“I hope the kids will play this summer,” Schafer said. “What helped is that my top three played in a lot of summer tournaments.”