NHS golfers win conference meet

The Northwestern High School boys golf team lost its first Heart of the North Conference match of the season Tuesday, falling to Cumberland in a dual meet with Ladysmith. Cumberland shot a 159 to win with Northwestern next at 172 and Ladysmith with a team score of 176.

Jake Nelson of Ladysmith was the meet medalist, carding a 35. Cumberland was led by Travis Lehman and Eric Carlson, both of whom shot 38s.

Sam Knapp had the low score for the Tigers with a 42, and Gabe Dinkel and Justin Alexson both shot 43s. Aaron Corry finished with a 44, and Reece Bartelt had a non-counting 45.

“Going in, we knew pulling out two wins would be a long shot,” said Tigers coach Gary Swanson. “The back nine of Cumberland is brutally narrow with lots of water. I was thankful that the guys held on to get the win over Ladysmith.”

Thursday, the Tigers were the ones with home course advantage as they hosted the HON 18-hole Conference Championship at Botten’s Green Acres in Lake Nebagamon.

Going into the game, Northwestern had the best conference record at 13-1. Close behind was Cumberland at 12-2 and Hayward at 11-3. Because the conference meet is worth more points, the title was up for grabs. With a victory in the meet, Cumberland would win the HON title outward, while Hayward would tie with the Northwestern.

In the end, however, the Tigers were able to take advantage of their home course, winning by just two points over Hayward 314-316. Cumberland finished third with a score of 334.

“We’ve got a good group of kids, a good mix of veterans and newcomers,” said Gary Swanson, head coach of the Tigers.”

Alexson, one of two freshmen on the Northwestern team, was the meet medalist with a score of 74.

“That’s pretty good, to be the medalist as a freshman,” Swanson said.

Bartelt finished with a 77, Knapp had an 81, Corry had an 82 and Dinkel carded a non-counting 84.

Northwestern also placed four golfers in the top 10 overall for the season to earn individual all-conference honors. Dinkel finished 10th, Knapp was eighth, Alexson was fifth and Bartelt was fourth.

The Tigers play in the WIAA regional meet Tuesday in Hayward. The top four team advance to the next round, and Swanson expects the competition to be still.

“It’s going to be exciting,” he said. “It will be just as close as this meet.”

Tags: northwestern high school, sports, golf, tigers