Newton girls end golf season at regionals

WATERLOO — The Newton girls’ golf team was supposed to be in Class 3A again this season.

Preliminary numbers had the Cardinals in 3A for the postseason, but a late drop of the girls’ golf program by Des Moines Hoover pushed Newton back into 4A.

That made qualifying for the state tournament tougher for the Cardinals and their year ended at the 4A Region 4 tournament on Wednesday.

Newton finished seventh in the 10-team field with a 445 at the par 72 Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course.

That was well below the state-qualifying scores posted by regional champion Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Washington.

The Lions won the regional with a 334 and Cedar Rapids Washington also clinched a state berth with a 353.

The top two teams and the top six individuals advanced to the state tournament later this month.

The top Cardinal golfer was Eva Pak and she led the way with a 104. She had nine-hole splits of 47-57. The other three counting scores came from Marin Pettigrew (109), Ella Price (115) and Addison Hook (117). Addie Ratcliff (119) and Addison Van Maanen (120) turned in non-counting scores.

Marshalltown (375), Waterloo East (391), Ankeny (400), Urbandale (412), Newton (445), Mason City (448), Fort Dodge (510) and Waterloo East (no team score) completed the 10-team field.

Linn-Mar placed five of its top six players in the top 10. Cedar Rapids Washington had spots 3-4-11.

Linn-Mar’s Morgan Rupp was the meet medalist with a 74. Marshalltown’s Natalie Henson was the runner-up medalist with a 78.

Cedar Rapids Washington’s Jane Petersen (78) and May Messinger (79), Linn-Mar’s Quinn Dunkle (83) and Marshalltown’s Gaby Estabrook (85) were the other individual state qualifiers.