The team champions are back after cruising to sectional titles and both individual medalists will defend their crowns as well, so the WIAA state girls golf tournament should feature plenty of high drama.
Those competitions are scheduled Oct. 13-14 at University Ridge in Madison, where Green Bay Notre Dame chases its third consecutive Division 1 championship and Madison Edgewood pursues an eighth straight crown in Division 2.
Notre Dame won its sectional with a 328 total, 24 strokes ahead of Sheboygan North/South. Senior Erin Sharpee, a second-team all-stater last year, led the Tritons with a 75.
The Division 1 field also features Kettle Moraine and Waukesha Catholic Memorial, which finished first and second, respectively, at the Janesville Parker Sectional.
The Lasers received a 70 (38-32) from junior April Ohlendorf, the lowest sectional score in the state, as they posted a 325. Meanwhile, the Crusaders tallied a 333 behind sophomore Isabella Lambert’s 75.
Other teams to watch include Hartford Sectional winner Homestead and Kenosha Tremper champion Brookfield Central.
Homestead scored a 332 as senior No. 3 golfer Erin Barragry led the way with an 83, while Central registered a 342 behind senior Kelly Coakley’s 79.
The D-2 team race is Edgewood’s for the taking. The Crusaders won the Wisconsin Dells Sectional with a 336 that won by 42 shots, getting an 80 from returning first-team all-state choice Alyssa Elliott, a senior.
Appleton Xavier, which won the Little Chute Sectional by seven shots over Fox Valley Lutheran, had the second-best qualifying score with a 348 as senior Colleen Mares fired an 81.
However, there is a big question mark because the Osceola Sectional was limited to nine holes because of inclement weather, so St. Croix Falls (178) and Baldwin-Woodville (180) are tougher to gauge.
And that goes for the chase for medalist honors in both divisions.
Wisconsin High School Golf Coaches Association player of the year Lindsay Danielson of Osceola leads the D-2 competitions after shooting a 38 in the rain-shortened event at her home course. She won last year’s event and overall medalist honors with a 147, the fifth-best 36-hole in state meet history, which dates back to 1972.
Others to keep an eye on are St. Croix Falls senior Jennifer Benoy, who tallied a 37 at Osceola; Jordyn Wyzgowski, a junior at The Prairie School who won the Little Chute title with a 71 (37-34); and Edgerton junior Alyssa Ferrell, who won at the Dells with a 79. And don’t forget Edgewood’s battle-tested team members, especially Elliott and senior Alex Lake.
Besides Ohlendorf, Lambert, Barragry, Sharpee and Coakley, the Division 1 medalist chase includes a host of other contenders. They include Madison La Follette junior McKenna Prestiagacomo (73), Holmen senior Christina DeBoer (73), Eau Claire North senior Casi Webb (74), Nicolet senior and defending D-1 titlist Tory Bauman (76), Kenosha Bradford senior Gianna Tenuta (77) and Kettle Moraine senior Jackie Shepherd (77).