The Gator golf teams got into the swing of things early in the season as they battled winds at the Stephen-hosted opening golf meet. The Girls Team consisting of Ava Christianson, Emily Burkel, Zairyn Wimpfheimer, Khloe Fletcher and Clara Bergsnev placed 1st as a team with Emily Burkel placing 1st with a 93, Khloe Fletcher placing 2nd with a 104, and Ava Christianson placing 8th with a 110. The top three girls teams were Badger-GB-MR 426, Roseau 444, and Warroad 464. Other teams competing included Sacred Heart, Lake of the Woods, Kittson Central, West Marshall, and Northern Freeze.
The boys team consisting of Danyn Janousek, Masen Swenson, Ty Grinsteiner, Eli Olafson, and Tryg Olson followed that up with another first place team finish. Top finishers for the Gators were Danyn Janousek placing 2nd with a 75, Masen Swenson placing 3rd with a 79, and Tryg Olson placing 4th with an 85. The top three boys teams were Badger-GB-MR with 320, Warroad with 329, and Lake of the Woods with 359. Other boys teams in the tournament included West Marshall, Roseau, Kittson Central, Northern Freeze and Sacred Heart.
Comments from Coach Val Truscinski:
The first meets of the 2024 season were a pleasant surprise for me. I knew that we were on track to have a successful season by the way practices were going, but I didn’t think we would claim first place as teams at both the boys and girls conference meets on Tuesday in Stephen and Warren, respectively. For the girls, I knew that Emily Burkel had improved since last season, but I did not expect her to come home as medalist the first meet of the year! Khloe Fletcher also surprised me a little by tying with two other girls for a second place finish. Newcomer to the girls team, Zairyn Wimpfheimer, contributed to the team score right out of the chute. I’m excited to see her golf skills improve as the season progresses.
For the boys, I anticipated my two veteran boys, Danyn Janousek and Masen Swenson, to have good scores, and they did not disappoint me. Danyn came in with a 75 - placing second, and Masen shot a 79 and placed third overall. Masen had set his pre-season goal to score in the 70s at least one time this season, and met that goal the first meet of the year! I was also pleasantly surprised with the two new additions to our boys team: Tryg Olson and Ty Grinsteiner. Tryg placed fourth overall and Ty eighth out of 49 golfers in attendance, both scoring in the 80s. I’m looking forward to seeing how these two Gator teams grow through the season!
