LP_080918

lockportlegend.com sports
the Lockport Legend | August 9, 2018 | 37
Girls Golf
Porters aiming high with entire squad returning
Randy Whalen
Freelance Reporter
They’re back — every
single one of them.
All the golfers from last
seasons Lockport Township
girls golf team return this
fall. With no seniors last
year, the Porters had a winning
record in dual/triangular
meets. They placed third
at the SouthWest Suburban
Conference Blue Division
meet at Green Garden Country
Club in Frankfort.
With the entire team returning,
they are expecting bigger
and better things this season.
“It’s exciting,” Lockport
girls coach Kyle Yaeger said
of the upcoming season.
“Last year we had a pretty
successful season. Hopefully
with everyone being a
year older now, they should
step up. Hopefully the whole
team can make it to the sectional
as a team.”
Last season, Lockport
didn’t qualify the team for
the sectional, missing by
seven strokes. But four individuals
qualified out of
the Class 2A Providence Regional,
which was held on
the Porters home course at
Broken Arrow in Lockport.
The sectional qualifiers
were Claire Ancevicius (95),
who is now a sophomore,
Rachel Kuzel (96) and Megan
Kohley (98), both now
juniors, and Katherine Tomczuk
(105) now a sophomore.
Freshman Fiona Heeney
(111) now a sophomore,
and Kearney Pluth (117)
now a senior, just missed the
individual qualifying cut.
“Rachel was our No. 1
for most of last year” Yaeger
said. “We expect her to
do well, but everyone who
played in the regional will
be back. It will be nice to see
them move up.”
At the Class 2A Waubonsie
Valley Sectional, which
was held at Springbrook
Golf Course in Naperville,
Kuzel (90) finished with the
best score on the team.
“[The sectional] was
rough,” Kuzel said at that
time. “[This] year we except
two or three of us to have
consistent scores in the 80s
or better.”
When the Porters shot a
367 at the SWSC Blue meet
at Green Garden In Frankfort
last September, it was
easily their best of the season.
Kuzel (85, 4th overall)
led Lockport. Kohley (91,
7th overall) had her lowest
score ever to also place in
the Top 10. Ancevicius (97)
and Pluth (98) rounded out
the top four for the Porters
and will look to have them
in contention for their first
SWSC Blue title since 2008.
“I think we will be even
better than last year” Kohley
said. “Everyone on the team
is all super close. That helps
with us to keep each other
up.”
The close knit group will
welcome in some freshmen
to the team this season.
“We have about a half
dozen freshmen out this
season,” Yaeger said. “So
we expect a larger varsity
team. We had the Lockport
golf camp in the second
week of June at Prairie Bluff
Golf Course. We had a lot of
younger kids out at that.”
This will be be the second
season as LTHS girls golf
coach for Yaeger, a 2013
Lockport graduate. He graduated
from St. Xavier University
in the spring of 2017
with a criminal justice degree.
This past year he was
able to secure a full time job
working midnights as a police
officer. While he plans
to be there as often as possible
this golf season, work
will sometimes beckon. So
assistant coach, Robin Prokaski
will be on hand to lend
his guidance.
“It’s going to be an exciting
year” Yaeger said. “We
want to do well, and if we
get any girls to state, it will
be a bonus. We want to have
fun and win as a team. I’ll be
there as often as I can. When
I can’t, Robin will do a great
job.”
Although teams could
play this week, Lockport
isn’t slatted to open the season
until Monday, Aug. 13,
with a 7 a.m. tee-off in the
York Invite at Oakbrook
Golf Course. The next day,
Tuesday, Aug. 14, brings a 1
p.m. dual meet against host
Plainfield North at the Links
of Carillon Golf Course in
Plainfield. The home opener
is at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 as
Latin travels to Broken Arrow
Golf Course.
The following week
brings a trio of 4:30 p.m.
dual meets. The first is a
SWSC crossover on Aug.
20 at Broken Arrow against
Bradley-Bourbonnais. Another
SWSC meet is next on
Aug. 22 against Stagg at Silver
Lake Country Club, and
that is followed with a local
matchup on Aug. 23 against
host Providence at Broken
Arrow.
Sophomore Claire Ancevicius is expected to be a key player for the LTHS girls golf team
this season. 22nd Century Media File Photo