The CNE Lady Rockets golf team placed second in the Cincinnati Girls' Golf Conference championship tournament last week. The team also placed fifth in the sectional tournament on Sept. 26.

By Garth Shanklin

The CNE Lady Rockets golf team placed second in the Cincinnati Girls' Golf Conference championship tournament last week. The team also placed fifth in the sectional tournament on Sept. 26.

Sports Editor

For the first time in school history, the New Richmond Lady Lions golf team competed in the sectional tournament.

The team, along with the Lady Rockets from Clermont Northeastern, traveled to Hamilton Elks Golf Club on Sept. 26 to participate in the Southwest District Division II tournament.

The top four teams and the top four golfers not on a qualifying team advance to district play, and once all the scores were tallied up, Clermont Northeastern junior Skylar Shircliff earned a sixth-place finish overall and a spot in the district tournament.

Lady Rockets head coach Brandon Hoeppner said the conditions weren’t ideal, but Shircliff was able to battle through it to post a solid score.

“Hamilton Elks played very tough on Sept. 26, and due to the weather scores were a little bit higher,” Hoeppner said. “She battled through some rough patches and put together a good sting of holes that allowed her to post the 98. With her positive attitude and always wanting to get better she is a great leader on the team. We are looking forward to starting fresh at Districts on Oct. 5.”

Shircliff becomes just the second golfer in CNE history to qualify for the district match. Shellby Hoeppner qualified for the district tournament in 2014 after carding an 89 in Xenia. She would go on to finish eighth in the district meet, missing qualifying for state by six strokes.

This year’s Lady Rocket team posted improvements across the board. The team finished in 10th in 2015, carding a total of 459. This year, the squad shaved 12 strokes off that total, finishing with a combined score of a 447 to come in fifth place as a team.

Shircliff improved her score by 12 strokes after shooting a 110 in the sectional tournament at Xenia’s WGC Golf Course last season. She shot a 98 at Hamilton Elks. Grace Cruey carded a 159 at WGC in 2015 and a 143 at Hamilton Elks this season. Keeley Keirns cut 20 strokes off her score from 2015, while the fifth Lady Rocket golfer, Taylor Shumard, is a freshman this year.

Coach Hoeppner said he was “proud” of the team, adding the squad is already looking forward to next season.

“I’m very proud of this tight-knit group of girls,” Hoepnner said. “This team is the tightest-knit team I have ever coached and they will all be back next year. In talking to them after sectionals, they all excited for and are setting goals very high for next year.”

The Lady Rockets were joined at the tournament by the New Richmond Lady Lions, who were in their first-ever team sectional tournament. They finished in 11th place out of 18 schools. Senior Laura Wilson, who participated in the 2015 event as an individual, carded a 109 to lead the Lady Lions, improving on her score in the same match last season.

Batavia senior Catherine Halcomb participated in the tournament as an individual. Her 110 placed her in a tie for 23rd place out of 67 golfers.

Shircliff’s advancement through the sectional tournament continued a strong week for the CNE golf team. The squad placed second in the Cincinnati Girls’ Golf Conference standings, finishing the three-day event 40 strokes behind McNicholas for first place. Keirns and Cruey earned second-team all-conference honors for their play in the tournament while Shircliff carded the second-lowest score in the tournament en route to a first-team nod.

Shircliff will tee off in the district tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at PipeStone Golf Club in Miamisburg, Ohio between 8:30 and 8:40 a.m.