The Girls’ Golf season is in full swing as Sectionals approaches. Both Natalie Symmes ’24 and Annie Baxter ’25 have already won multiple tournaments, and the team as a whole has made massive strides since last year.
The girls started their season at the Irish Invite at Maple Creek Golf Course on July 31st. In their opening tournament, both Symmes and Baxter tied for first place, and the team finished second overall, shooting 378. The team continued their solid play on August 2nd at the Guerin Catholic Invite. Symmes went on to win the invite, shooting a 75, and the team secured third place overall. Symmes’ success is no surprise, as she has been one of the hardest workers on the team. Coach Kelly McKasson said, “Over the years, and especially in the last two years, she has really improved her game. You can tell she has played in a lot of tournaments outside of our high school season, and if you want to get better in the game of golf, it’s a year-round sport.”
The 2023 season marks the 6th year of McKasson’s tenure as the Girls’ head coach. McKasson’s career as Brebeuf’s coach has been highlighted by winning multiple county championships as well as reaching Sectionals for the first time last season. But McKasson says the most meaningful part of his tenure is, “I’ve been coaching the girls for seven years, and every year, we’ve gotten better by the end of the year. So it’s those gradual, little things that you see players pick up on. Overall, I gauge our success by how we’ve improved throughout the year.”
After the Guerin Catholic Invite, the girls won many matches, including bouts against Speedway, Pike, Park Tudor, Chatard, and North Central. One bright spot this year has been the play of Macy Huff ’25. Huff has played a vital role for the Braves, consistently achieving the third-lowest score in tournaments this year.
Another bright spot for the Braves has been Annie Baxter, who has been on fire recently. Baxter won the Circle City Conference tournament, shooting a personal best 76. Baxter credits her success to “taking one shot at a time and always maintaining a positive attitude on the course, regardless of her score.” Baxter’s strong play was also evident when she and Symmes teamed up to shoot a 72 best ball at the Mooresville Invite. Baxter’s low scores have been a massive help to the Braves this year, especially after losing one of their best players, Ashlen Boylen ’23, last year.
With the loss of Boylen, senior Natalie Symmes took on a leadership role on the team. Being a team leader has been fun for Symmes: “Being a good senior leader was very important to me this year. When I was a freshman, my senior leader motivated and encouraged me. I try to be like her, build our team chemistry, and help out my teammates when they struggle.”
The team is a strong group of girls, and they have many great memories to reflect upon this year. With that being said, the girls still have many goals to accomplish this year. They will first celebrate senior night on September 12th. Afterward, they will gear up for sectionals on September 18th at Pebble Brook Golf Club. If the girls can make it out of sectionals, they will advance to regionals on September 23rd at BattleGround Golf Club. State follows regionals on September 29th and 30th at the Prairie View Golf Club. While success is not solely defined by winning and advancing, the girls are more determined than ever to make a late-season push led by the likes of Natalie Symmes and Annie Baxter.
