Matt Swanson
Matt Swanson shot a fantastic 1-under 35 on the back nine to finish with a 73 when the Section 7AAA Golf Finals were held May 30 at Grand National GC. That finish raised the Cambridge-Isanti junior into a fourth-place tie, good enough for Swanson to get back to the Class AAA State meet (June 11-12 on Bunker Hills GC).
Teammate Nate Cox shot an 83 as the sophomore gained valuable experience for next season. The Forest Lake boys held off Grand Rapids and Chisago Lakes to defend the 7AAA boys championship.
Day 1 Report
Four Cambridge-Isanti golfers– Matt Swanson, Nate Cox, Jade Newman and Anna Sunderman– are in the hunt for State berths after shooting well in Day 1 of the Section 7AAA Tourney hosted May 27 on Hinckley’s Grand National GC. Day 2 will be May 30 on the same course.
Swanson closed with a 78, and Cox fired a 79 on a chilly Memorial Day. Evan Dunbar added an 85 for the Jacket boys, with Brad Schintz (87), Erik Maltrud (98) and Spencer Harvey (109) also competing.
Jade Newman shot an 85 to earn a berth in Day 2 of the Section 7AAA girls golf tourney. Photos by Greg Hunt
“Matt and Nate both played solidly but struggled with their putters as they had a hard time rolling any birdies in the cup. Matt finished with just one birdie, and Nate did not have any. Both are mentally competitive and will rebound on Thursday and get those putts to fall,” projected C-I boys coach Mike Hennen.
The Bluejackets finished the team season 10th at sections with a 329. Grand Rapids (300), Forest Lake (303) and Chisago Lakes (308) return on Thursday to finish off a tight team race to State.
Newman, a freshman first-year golfer for the Jacket girls, carded an 85, and junior third-year varsity shooter Sunderman scored an 88 with a 40 on the back to earn a return trip to Hinckley. Megan Koester finished her C-I golf career with a 107, with Jade Lamb (98), Evan Gorham (115) and Amelia Utecht (120) also on the varsity for sections.
“It has been a roller coaster ride for all of the spring sport teams, and golf was no exception,” said C-I girls coach Steven Hanson, whose team finished 8th at the 7AAAs. “The girls did a great job of sticking it out under the leadership of the two seniors, Megan Koester and Dagne Gorham, whom we will miss dearly.”
Andover (335), Grand Rapids (339) and Forest Lake (341) will battle it out for the 7AAA title on Thursday. Tee-off on the front is 9 a.m. for the boys, 10 a.m. for the girls.
Section 7AAA Golf Day 1
Girls: Andover 335, Grand Rapids 339, Forest Lake 341, St. Francis 347, Elk River 350, St. Michael-Alb. 352, Duluth East 357, Cambridge-Isanti 378, Cloquet-Esko 397, North Branch 400, Princeton 416, Chisago Lakes 426.
Boys: Grand Rapids 300, Forest Lake 303, Chisago Lakes 308, Andover 312, Cloquet-Esko 313, St. Michael-Alb. 315, Elk River 319, Duluth East 324, North Branch 324, Cambridge-Isanti 329, St. Francis 332, Duluth Denfeld 366, Princeton 368.
Megan Koester was one of the two senior leaders for the C-I girls this rain-shortened season. She is shown teeing off on her opening hole at sections on Monday.
Mississippi 8 wrap
Swanson finished as season second-medalist to Rogers’ Morgan Rask when the Mississippi 8 boys wrapped up on Wild Marsh GC May 23. Swanson shot a 73 that day, and Cox fired an 89 as he, too, also earned All-Conference honors for the C-I boys who finished in 4th place as Rogers won the M-8 for the sixth consecutive year.
Also on Wild Marsh on the 23rd, Newman closed with a 91 to earn All-M8 for the Jackets girls. Sunderman was Honorable Mention when she shot a 102, and Lamb added a 99 on that final round. The Buffalo girls defended their team title.
Mississippi 8 Boys Golf
FINAL: Rogers 88 pts, St. Michael-Alb. 56, Buffalo 55, Cambridge-Isanti 50, Monticello 19, Big Lake 2.
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