Before the girls golf season even began, New Trier coach Gary Groh knew exactly what he had to do for his team to excel–very little, or even nothing at all.
“This is by far the best team I’ve had in all my years of coaching,” Groh said in August. “All I have to do is not screw it up.”
From the very first tee shot his team has been dismantling opponents, asserting itself as the best in the area and making a claim as one of the best in recent state history. New Trier enters this weekend’s state tournament at Bloomington Country Club after completely dominating the competition all season. The Trevians won the Waukegan regional by 31 strokes and followed that with a 45-stroke victory in sectional play.
As scary as the thought is, are the Trevians peaking at the right time?
“I hope so–I’ll be able to say for sure Saturday night,” said Groh, who’s hoping to return to Winnetka with the school’s first state title in girls golf after four runner-up finishes in the last 11 years. “Anything can happen down there. We just hope we can keep our momentum another few days.”
Few favorites ever have entered the tournament riding a bigger wave of momentum. During the regular season New Trier posted impressive victories Sept. 9 at the Waukegan Invitational and Sept. 23 at the Barrington Invitational before sweeping through the postseason.
Senior Alexis Wooster, a favorite to win the individual state title after finishing second last year, has led the way, but she has not been the only star. Clare Lucey finished second at the Waukegan Invitational with a personal-best score of 77. Wooster, Kelsey Lutz, Jenny Gelber and Ashley Grenesko all finished in the top 10 at the Waukegan regional.
At the Barrington Invitational, the state’s biggest girls golf meet outside the state tournament, New Trier posted a team-record score of 318. The Trevians bettered that mark by eight strokes at the Waukegan sectional.
“Around here they’re head and shoulders above everyone else,” Lake Forest coach Marlene Miller said. “A 310 will be tough to beat.”
But, Miller was quick to add, that doesn’t mean New Trier cannot be beaten. “There’s a good team down at Forsyth that people around here don’t know about,” she said. “That’s a team that could give them trouble.”
Maroa-Forsyth is led by sophomore Hilary Anderson, who finished seventh at state last year. St. Charles East (with state-title hopeful Stacy Springer), Glenbrook South and Miller’s Scouts are poised to pounce if the Trevians falter. Other hopefuls for the individual title include Benet senior Sarah Pesavento, Waukegan’s Jill Franz and sophomore Mary Ellen Jacobs from Alton Marquette.
