GRANITE CITY – It was a very successful day for the Alton girls golf team, as Riley Kenney, Na’liah Simmons and Natalie Messinger all finished in the top ten as the Redbirds came in second in the large school division of the Madison County tournament Tuesday afternoon at The Legacy Golf Course in Granite City.
The Redbirds had a team score of 346, finishing second behind Edwardsville’s 308, with Triad coming in third with a score of 376, Collinsville winding up in fourth with a 388, Highland finished fifth with a 407, and host Granite City was sixth with a 446.
Kenney came in fifth in the individual standings with an 82, while Simmons finished eighth with a score of 86, and Messinger was ninth at 87. In addition, Josie Giertz placed 11th with a score of 91.
It was a very good day weather-wise, with partly cloudy skies, temperatures in the low 80s and a course in very good condition. It made for good and enjoyable golf for everyone concerned.
“You know, we had a beautiful day out here,” said Redbird coach Carey Cappel, “the girls were excited for their first official 18-hole tournament. Besides the mosquitoes, I think everyone had a really good time,” Cappel said with a laugh.
Although the interview was conducted before the official scores were turned in, Cappel was very pleased with how things went for her team on the day, and it was very good just to see the competition with the unpredictability of how the COVID-19 pandemic will go next.
“Everybody’s really excited,” Cappel said, “and right now, we haven’t started school yet, even though it’s remote. So the girls are able to come out and not stress about homework and things like that. So they’re coming out on this beautiful day and having fun. I saw a lot of great shots out there today; I know Riley Kenney played fantastic in the number two spot. And then, my freshman, Na’liah Simmons was hitting the ball really well, so it was a good day.
Messinger also had a great day, and her spirits helped boost the Redbirds even more.
“I think that Natalie played well,” Cappel said. “I haven’t got her official score in yet, but again, I saw a lot of great shots from her as well. And her attitude and her demeanor were great today, too.”
But the fact that the golfers are out there competing again is a very good sign for Alton, and Cappel is very happy with that.
“Yep, that’s what we’re kind of going with,” Cappel said. “That’s our goal, and we’re just out here to have fun and enjoy, not take a day for granted, because we don’t know when the season may or may not come to an end.”
Besides the top four, Olivia Boyd shot an 115 for Alton, with Lexi Paulin had a score of 116. The Kahoks were led by Maya Clark’s 90, with Abby Fister shooting a 94, Ricki Merlak carded a 99, Carstyn Jones shot a 105, Anna Belobraydic had a 106, and Kiley Belobraydic shot 109.
Lexi Schmidke led the host Warriors with an even 100, while Layla Reynolds shot an 112, Ilaina Novacich had an 115 and Aleah Crenshaw fired an 119. Kaileh Gould was the Bulldogs’ leading golfer with a 99, followed by Claire Korte’s 100, Raeghan Henrichs carded a 102, Brooke Hunsche shot 106, and both Lily Barker and Maci Miles each had an 111.
The Knights were led by Emma Hill’s 76, with Anja Mills carding a 98, Jessica Sager, Ella Moore and Paige Hawkes each shooting a 101, and Makenna Keith firing a 102.
The Redbirds have adopted a team slogan of playing every day like it’s your last, and in the opening two tournaments, it’s served the team very well.
“It seems to be working so far,” Cappel said with a smile. “Day by day, one day at a time, one shot at a time. We’re happy to be here.”
Alton individual scores:
Riley Kenney- 82 (5th place)
Na’ilah Simmons- 86 (8th place)
Natalie Messinger- 87 (9th place)
Josie Giertz- 91
Chris Rhodes also contributed to this story.
