Jimtown High School

Jimtown golfers anxious to tee it up By Red Williams Freelance Sportswriter ELKHART - The opening bell for school is still a day or two away, but the girl golfers at Jimtown High School are already hitting the links. “We’ve started off well,” related Coach Matt LaFree. “Comparing our first two invites, we are well ahead of what we were last year, individually and as a team.” Four letterwinners are back for the Jimmies, he said in an email interview. “Last year we won two dual meets and beat two teams in invites,” he reported, “which was the first wins for our girls program in several years.” Heading the charge are senior Maddie Pyfer and juniors Thea Hutsell, Tori Swald and Lennyn Higgins, who played last season. Graduating from the team were Abby Williams and Mackenzie Middleton. The Jimmies open their season with a triangular meet Tuesday (8.11.26) with Westview and Concord at Heron Creek Golf Club in LaGrange. “The girls are working hard,” LaFree said, “and even after a week there have been some improvements. Even on the range they are getting better and more consistent each day.” Also vying for varsity spots are senior Natalia Ferro and junior Katie Shellito, who both missed last season with injuries. New players are Karina Barkey, another senior, and three freshmen: Juno Buras, Sydney Hochstetler and Audrey Travis. “I like our schedule, because we get to play quality teams and quality courses,” LaFree added. “It’s good to go up against really good golfers. I think it helps our girls improve just by observing course etiquette and the way girls go about their business. “We also have some teams on our schedule that are at our level, and we can compete with them.” Like many golfing mentors, LaFree believes there are life lessons to learn on the golf course. “It’s hard to hit a ball with a bunch of strangers watching you,” he said “but performing under this adversity is a great skill to learn. “We also emphasize personal improvement,” he continued. “Finding what we need to work on and getting better daily is a big emphasis.” Here’s the schedule: Aug. 11 vs Westview & Concord at Heron Creek Aug. 13 at Bremen 5:30 pm [C] Aug. 18 at Knox 5:30 pm [C] Aug. 20 at Glenn 5:30 [C] Aug. 24 at Mishawaka Marian 5 pm Aug. 27 vs Trinity 4:30 Sep. 3 at Tippecanoe Valley 5 pm [C] Sep. 5 at Conf meet 1:30 pm at Pretty Lake (rain date Sep. 12) Sep. 7 at Mishawaka 5 pm Sep. 10 vs New Prairie 5 pm Sep. 15 at SB Riley 5:30 pm Sep. 17 vs LaLumiere 5:30 at Bent Oak