By BUTCH HARMON
Led by a quartet of seniors who have made it to the state finals each of their high school years, the Greenville girls golf team is again ranked among the top ten teams in the state. With seniors Karli Didion, Amanda Kerschen, Taylor Hansen, and Anne Hilt leading the way, the Yellowjackets have been a force this fall. Kerschen leads the team in conference matches with a 44.5 average, while Didion and Hansen are both averaging 45.5 in league matches. Didion has the top tournament average on the team at 93.1, while Hansen is averaging 94 in tournaments and Kerschen is averaging 95.8.
The Yellowjackets hit the ground running this season, as they placed second in Division II at the prestigious Lober Classic in Traverse City. “We started our season traveling to The Grand Traverse Resort to complete in the two day Lober Classic hosted by Traverse City Central,” coach Nancy Johnson said. “There were 21 teams completing. The trip to Traverse City is always a great team-building experience and kickoff to our season. We have all our parents along as well. This year, looking at the Division II teams playing in this tournament, we finished in second place. Overall, competing against the field, we finished 9th.”
Greenville followed that effort with an 8th-place finish at the Brighton Invitational, a fifth-place finish at the Lady Cardinal Tournament, and a sixth-place finish at the Greenville Invitational.
Greenville is in second-place in the OK Bronze behind Forest Hills Northern.
“I have a solid team that is so close to putting up scores in the 80s,” Johnson said. “I know they have it in their bag, and they all are working hard to post scores that reflect their true talent. As their coach, I truly believe in this team and know as the season progresses, they will fulfill their goal of all scoring in the 80s.”
Johnson believes this team has the talent to end the season in a big way. “This team has a strong desire to be successful on the golf course and have worked hard on their skills,” she said. “There is no one superstar on this team but seven girls with a strong desire to give their best and help the team reach their goals. They believe as a team they will be strong in the regional being played at Lincoln Golf Course in Muskegon. They also focused on finishing in the top three and will travel to the MHSAA State Finals played at Forest Akers West in October. This group of girls has been to the State Finals all of the last three years.”