David Cook
Sports Scene
Led by a trio of talented seniors who have come a long way since their freshman seasons, the Swartz Creek girls golf team finished the season in a place that has become familiar to them.
Paced by Haylee Zyber, Gabrielle Deering, and Morgan McGaffigan, the Dragons qualified for the Division 2 state finals for the third year in a row. The three have been a part of the program since their freshmen year when they won just two matches. Since then, the Dragons have developed into one of the top teams in mid-Michigan.
Swartz Creek finished in the top ten at the state meet, totaling 739 strokes to finish in ninth place.
“It was the third year in a row that we were able to go to state,” coach Deborah Culver said. “We had hoped to do a little better. The conditions were very tough and the greens were very tough, but everybody had to play in those conditions. It was real close. The difference between third place and ninth place was something like 20 strokes. I told the girls that there are 120 or more teams in our division and only 15 go to state. It was quite an accomplishment for the girls, especially because they have done it for three years in a row now.”
Leading the way for the Dragons was Zyber, who shot a pair of 87 rounds for a two-day total of 174. She also led the team with a 40.2 average this year. A first-team, all-conference player, Zyber is being recruited by a number of colleges and will be playing college golf next season.
Deering, who averaged 42 for the season, carded rounds of 88 and 94 at the state meet.
“Gabrielle is a very, very good golfer,” Culver said. “She was a big key for us this season. She is looking at college, but for a different sport. She’s a real good softball player for us.”
The team also received solid efforts from juniors Morgan Storer and Kristin Loiselle at the state meet. Storer recorded rounds of 99 and 92 while Loiselle had rounds of 94 and 98.
Overall, the Dragons enjoyed a solid season from beginning to end. Swartz Creek was undefeated in the Flint Metro League for the second straight year. The Dragons also defeated their opponents throughout the season by an average of 33 strokes and finished second at the regional tournament.
While the Dragons will graduate a trio of seniors, next year’s team should again be competitive, thanks to a solid base laid down by Culver and junior varsity coach Katie Shyamsunder.
“This is the first year we’ve really had a junior varsity team,” Culver said. “I have a great jv coach in coach Shyamsunder. She has worked really hard at the elementary and middle school level, and a lot of kids want to play.
We will have three returnees next season along with eight players up from the junior varsity. We also have a few new kids coming in from the middle school. We have some talent coming up. I think we will be competitive. We will have some lofty goals, and I think we will surprise some people.”