DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
It’s a tale of the young and the old for this year’s Bellmont golf team as a large group of freshmen are ready to take the reins from this year’s senior class, while a pair of young graduates are ready to transition the program from their former coach.
“We averaged a 199 last year and were fourth in the NE8 and fourth at sectional,” says head coach Mike Macke of his Braves, who were unfortunately one spot away from advancing in last year’s state tournament.
Macke will certainly miss the low scores of his youngest child, Leyna, after she graduated this May, but he long-time coach still returns four of his top six from last season’s competitive team.
“Losing our #1 (Leyna) will always hurt, but I think we can be competitive and maybe even better than last year,” he says.
The top returnee for the 2023 Braves is Meghan Pettibone. Now a senior, she is consistently around the bogey mark on most nights and played in last year’s regional as an individual.
Neck and neck with Leyna Macke all year last year, Pettibone was runner-up in the home Bellmont Invite and was consistent throughout the year.
Another senior on the team will be Abigail Blythe and Macke believes that if she can find the consistency that Pettibone possesses, Blythe, who is fairly new to the game still, can be a solid asset for the team.
Macke also thinks he will see big improvements from another member of the Class of 2024 now that Krosbi Butler has recovered from a knee injury and is ready to play a full season.
“I look for her to take a step forward for us,” says Macke.
Addi Johnson got a taste of varsity last year, filling in for a weekend, but Macke feels she is ready to compete for the #5 spot, noting a steady improvement over the summer from the senior.
Along with the four senior players on the team, Macke also notes the importance of the girls’ classmate, Vanessa Hebble, who returns to the team as manager. With girls on multiple holes stretched across different golf courses, the coach made sure to recognize her hard work and positive influence on the team.
The only player on this year’s team who is not in grade 12 or 9 is Ella Hockemeyer, who is a sophomore. Playing varsity as a freshman, Hockemeyer averaged a 52 and contended for medalist honors on some nights.
Four freshmen make up the rest of the team: Morgan Huss, Kinley Martin, Lyla Post and Ava Billman.
“Huss and Martin have played in the Junior program and should be solid JV for us this year,” says Macke. Post and Billman are just taking up the game, but have shown pretty good affinity for it during summer open range practices.”
As Macke winds down his career (he is not sure whether this is his last or not), he still has that feeling of excitement heading into a new high school golf season.
“I think top four at conference is an attainable goal. We also look to get back to Regional as a team this year after missing it by just three strokes last year. Having four quality freshmen is also exciting as we keep working for the future. Morgan Ellsworth will be an assistant coach this season and Megan Rickord will also help out. Getting two of our better recent graduates on staff will be very helpful!”
The Braves begin their season with a home invite Tuesday at Cross Creek.
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