Merced High girls golf finishes perfect CCC run in style
Three Merced High girls golfers earned their way to the top of the leaderboard at the Central California Conference Championship Tournament on Monday as the Bears finished off a perfect run to the conference championship at Pheasant Run Golf Club in Chowchilla.
Merced’s Lily Meneley turned in the low round of the day with a score of 85. She was followed by teammates Abigail Rosa’s 87 and Maya Rodriguez’s 89 as the Bears finished with a team score of 461 to win by 40 strokes.
The Bears went a perfect 10-0 in CCC dual matches and then added victories at the Mid-Season Tournament at the Madera Country Club and then Monday at Pheasant Run. It’s Merced’s first CCC girls golf championship since 2021.
Merced coach John Kane says his team has come a long way from when they were freshmen who were new to golf. “What has stood out is how much they have improved from their freshman year, when many of them had never played golf before,” Kane said.
Meneley says she tried to keep things simple on the course. “I stayed consistent, focused on my game, and trusted my shots,” she said. “I tried not to overthink things and just take it one shot at a time.”
Buhach Colony finished second as a team and second overall in the conference standings and will join Merced as the two CCC teams competing at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Championships at Paradise Valley Golf Course in Fairfield on Monday, Oct. 26. The Thunder were led by sophomore Addisen Englert, who finished fourth overall with a round of 92 and freshman Allison Gaoiran, who placed sixth after shooting a 94.
The Bears’ depth has been their strength with five different girls recording a low round in a match this season.
“They support each other, but the top girls also go out and try to shoot the low score of the day,” Kane said. “What I really like is that they focus on playing the golf course and shooting as low as they can. There is a quiet competitiveness among the top girls, but it’s never personal. They are always very supportive and quick to congratulate each other.”
“We push each other to be our best while still supporting one another,” Meneley added. “We all want to do well, and having three Bears at the top shows how much talent we have as a team. We motivate each other to keep improving and compete at a high level.”
WAC Tournament
The Beyer High girls golf team just edged out Livingston to win the Western Athletic Conference Championship Tournament by one stroke on Monday at Rancho Del Rey Golf Course on Monday. The Patriots finished with a team score of 647 and the Wolves finished with 648.
Beyer’s Zoe Gutierrez finished with the top individual round of 101. Livingston’s Elena Vasquez finished second overall with a round of 115. Livingston finished second in the final WAC standings, just five points behind Beyer.
Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.