Lansing Catholic’s Jacqueline Setas was the Queen of the Hill in Division 4 girls’ golf this season. She shot 77 and 73 for 150 at Bedford Valley in Battle Creek to take championship honors.
She finished runner up last year after losing in a playoff.
“I thought that as a team, we played really, really well,” Setas said. “After the first day, we were in third place, which I don’t think a lot of people thought we could do. So I was really proud of my team.”
Her highest score was 41 for nine holes. She also won several invitationals during the regular season.
“It’s just an incredible run,” Lansing Catholic coach Mary Schafer said. “She plays a lot of tournaments in the summer. She basically goes all over the Midwest and even plays tournaments down South. That has made her tournament tough. She plays in the [best] tournaments in the country. She’s ranked as one of the top in the Midwest, if not the country. It’s a huge plus for me if I can get my kids to play in summer tournaments, because you can’t describe to people what it’s like in tournaments. They have to follow all the rules. It helps them get ready for the season.”
Setas was elated being able to get first place in her last high school action.
“I think I played at the top of my game the second day,” Setas said. “The first day, I for sure should have done [better].”
For the weekend, Setas’ driver worked well. “I might have missed three fairways overall, combined the two days,” she said. “That was really helping me out. My putting was on the second day.”
Setas indicated her short game has improved. “My chipping got a ton better from last year,” she said. “That’s why I played well.”
As an individual golfer, this was her best season, but she would have loved getting a fourth team title. “In the regionals, we lost by 30 to Flint Powers,” Setas said. “That was kind of a wake-up call, knowing state was going to be tough, and we needed to play our best to win. We played solid by coming in fourth. Getting first three years and fourth is a good run for high school.”
Setas will be staying home and playing college golf at Michigan State University, although she said she could have gone anywhere in the Big Ten or even to some schools down South.
“I have a good relationship with the coaches there,” she said. “I felt comfortable with the campus and Forest Akers [home course]. I thought it was a good fit for me.”