Spartans, Tologs golf squads look to move up
La Cañada High girls’ golf Coach Rich Wheeler issued a pact with his team before the spring semester concluded — practice with their respective individual coaches and be prepared for the upcoming season.
Wheeler won’t have to wait long to find out if his players followed suit.
“I’ll see the results by the first or second day,” said Wheeler, whose team finished fourth in its first season in the Pacific League last year. “I’m curious to see how much they will have practiced, and the ones I’ve talked to who have practiced said they’ve gotten better.”
Wheeler said he’s looking for the Spartans, who were a freelance team during the program’s first season in 2010, to rise in the league standings.
Arcadia won the league championship last season and Crescenta Valley took second. Arcadia and Crescenta Valley are expected to battle again for the league crown this season.
When the Spartans aren’t busy participating in a league match, they will be taking on top programs in the region that will include Saugus, Hart and Alemany.
“We aren’t slacking with our schedule,” Wheeler said. “We play those teams so we can stay sharp in our league matches.
“I think we have a strong core coming back. We know that Arcadia and CV will always be tough, so I’d like to see us battle for the third spot in league.”
La Cañada will have most of its team returning, including junior Melissa Leo. Leo finished third in the league’s individual tournament last season and qualified for the CIF Southern Section Northern Individual Regionals en route to being named to the All-Area team.
Also expected to be back in the mix for the Spartans are senior Jennifer Kim, juniors May Lo, Megan Lee, Sang Hee Lee, Annie Bae, Lauren Skarupa and Madlyn Merchant. They will be joined by sophomore Keilee Bessho and freshmen Yoojin Kin and Lexie Dreyfuss.
“We will have plenty of depth,” Wheeler said.
At Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, the Tologs will again be a part of the Mission League, arguably one of the toughest in Southern California. Flintridge Sacred Heart will return juniors Katie Hartwig, Presley Maran and Raleigh Scharre. The trio will be joined by Karin Gredvig and Carra Liwanag.
Flintridge Sacred Heart fifth-year Coach Bill Sanchez said he’s seeking to stabilize the team’s lineup and future of the program.
“Katie brings a lot of experience to our team and will be our captain this year,” Sanchez said. “Presley finished last year very strongly and Raleigh vastly improved last year.
“Karin has shown great potential and has played the L.A .Parks Municipal Tour this last summer. Carra has shown great promise as the future of the program. My goals for the team will be to improve on a daily basis and compete with the other Mission League schools.”