By Chuck Klonke

Alex Schlump stepped into the perfect situation when he took over as head coach of the Lutheran North girls  golf team this fall.

He took over an established program that had won the Macomb County Invitational in 2020 and qualified for the state finals for nine straight years. Just as important, he had Hall of Fame coach Lori Gill to help him make the transition from being the school’s boys golf coach.

“This is a great place to begin,” Schlump said Monday after the Mustangs finished with a team score of 332 to repeat as county champion at the meet at Timberwood Golf Club. “I coach the boys team so it wasn’t a brand new experience but coaching boys versus coaching girls at this level was definitely different. Especially because they were so established.

“I’m so indebted to coach Gill for the veteran status she has and to be able to take me under her wing, although she reminds me that I’m the head coach. I’m thankful for what she has done.”

Stevenson finished second with a 365 score and Lakeview was third at 403.

Lauren Timpf of Lutheran North follows her shot at Timberwood. The sophomore shot 70 to earn medalist honors and lead the Mustangs to the Macomb County championship. (DAVID DALTON for MediaNews Group)

North sophomore Lauren Timpf was the meet medalist with a two-under par 70.

The Mustangs’ recipe for success sounds simple, but anyone who has played golf will say that it’s much tougher than it sounds.

“We always focus on doing our thing,” Schlump said. “As any golfer will know, it’s one hole at a time. When that hole is done, it’s history and move on to the next one. We try to do that every match, every tournament, every hole. That’s what we’re after.”

North’s only senior, captain Sarah Doletzky, said that winning the county tournament was a goal all season.

“We wanted it a lot and we worked really hard at it,” said Doletzky, whose 84 placed her fifth among individuals at the meet. “Just to take counties again is really amazing.”

The Mustangs were favorites going into the tournament but they didn’t let the pressure get to them.

Schlump said that Doletzky’s experience helps in those situations, but she downplays her contributions.

“We have a really relaxed team. I don’t have to do much,” she said. “We all know what we’re doing. We all take charge. A lot of it is just reassuring them, ‘You’ve got it. We’ve got it.’”

Aileen Cosentino shot 85 for Lutheran North and freshman Saige Rothey completed the scoring with a 93.

“We’ve worked so hard,” Schlump said. “We practice our short game so much and at regionals (where North finished second), we saw that work come to fruition. Sometimes you feel helpless watching them do what they need to do. You offer encouragement but when you see those putts drain and those chips come close it feels good.”

Stevenson and Lakeview also came off strong regional performances that they carried into the county meet.

“Our seniors have been here four years and after their freshman year we talked about their growth and where they were headed and what their possibilities were,” said Titans coach Dennis Walczak. “We added two freshmen last year. Every team needs that missing key and those two came in and filled that role.

“The girls jelled together. We were 10-0 in the league, first in the MAC White meet and made it to states for the second time in school history.  We’re very pleased with where they’ve come to, but we’re looking forward to see what they can do this week (at the Division 1 state meet).”

Alexis Yang of Stevenson tees off during the county tournament at Timberwood. Yang shot 79 to help the Titans finish second. (DAVID DALTON for MediaNews Group)

Alexis Yang led Stevenson with a 79, followed by Megan Luke 88, Natalie Ishioka 99 and Tessa McKnee 101. Ishioka and McKnee are the seniors along with Lindsay Lewis and Ally Rea.

Lakeview qualified for the state tournament for the first time last week and the Huskies rode that accomplishment to third place in the county meet.

“You always have one better player, but all the girls have taken a love for the game and put a lot of effort into it,” said coach Karen Mazzola. “In all my 12 seasons, this is the group that has put in the most extra time. They’re good listeners. They all have their swing coaches so we focus on the mental part — having fun. If you’re having fun, you’re going to succeed.

“I tell them, don’t get upset. I’ve said it a thousand times, ‘Golf isn’t a game of perfect.’ You’re never going to walk around a golf course and say, ‘I had a perfect round.’ Even if you shoot a wonderful score, you’re still going to say, ‘I could have.’  This is all about the girls. They’re intelligent and they have a lot of fun together. They’re the ones who’ve accomplished this.”

Ashley Lutomski led Lakeview with 85. Isabella Micakovic shot 97, Carmen Modestino 105 and Carly Denbaas 116.

Following the three team leaders were Eisenhower 406, Regina 427, Romeo 428, Ford 431, Dakota 433 and Utica 477.

Go MUSTANGS!

Article originally posted by The Macomb Daily