NORMAL – University High School claimed first place at Illinois High School Association Class 2A State Golf Tournament, held at Weibring Golf Course on the Illinois State University campus Oct. 14 and 15. As a team, the Pioneers finished with a two-day total of 624, six strokes ahead of second place finisher Aurora Marmion’s 630. Vernon Hills captured third in the 12-team field with 634.
The win was U-High’s 10th victory in team history. This year, IHSA is celebrating 100 years of competitive golf.
Individually, U-High junior Dallas Koth finished in a three-way tie for second place with a two-day total of 148, six over par. In Friday’s opening round, he shot 37 each on both halves of his 18 holes, and then duplicated that score on Saturday. Tyler Anderson from Mundelein Carmel High School and Morton High’s Tommy Kuhl also finished second with Koth.
Luke Armbrust from Wheaton St. Francis High School finished in first place with a two-day total of 147.
Koth admitted to “scrambling a lot on a couple holes and sometimes, it went well and sometimes, it didn’t,†he said, adding, “When I had bad shots, I recovered pretty well.â€
Finishing first on their own home course at State “means the world,†Koth said. He added that’s because the team will get its picture placed on the wall of the school’s large gym permanently. He said his brother, who also played golf at U-High, was on teams that finished first all four years he played, but that was a few years ago.
As for Koth’s teammates and their two-day totals, junior Tony Palumbo finished with a 13 over par 155; senior Dylan Panizo finished with 17 over par 159, junior Alex Kullman finished with a 20 over par 162, junior Ben Bazan finished with a 24 over par 166, and sophomore Ethan Huynh finished with a 29 over par 171.
“Our guys did a nice job keeping themselves in play,†said U-High head coach Darrin York. “They shot to put themselves in a position to win today and they played a terrific back 9. I mean, when the chips were on the table and they had to have shots, they had the shots.â€
“Of Koth’s accomplishment, York said, “He’s a gutsy kid with an uncanny ability to hit big shots in big moments.â€
Other Teams’ Results: At Prairie Vista Golf Course, site of IHSA Class 1A Boys competition, El Paso Gridley finished 9th in a 12-team field with a score of 698. In Girls Class 1A at Red Tail Run Golf Club in Decatur, U-High finished 7th with a two-day total of 729, Bloomington Central Catholic finished 10th with a total of 746, EPG placed 11th with a total of 782. In Girls’ Class 2A at Hickory Point Golf Club in Forsyth, Normal Community High School finished 11th in a 12-team field with a total score of 66.
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