Manhattan enjoyed a beautiful day Monday, with near-perfect conditions for golf at Stagg Hill Golf Course. The Manhattan High girls’ golf team took advantage of it, winning the Centennial League championship with a team score of 346.
Led by senior Maddie Myers, who completed her own four-peat of individual league titles with a 3-under-par 69, the Indians claimed their fourth straight team championship and first under new head coach Brock Leroux.
“Incredibly proud,” Leroux said. “We have a lot of new faces, and I’m sure there’s pressure that they probably feel to continue the success we’ve had, in a really tough spot where a lot of them hadn’t played a ton of varsity golf before. I’m sure to some degree they take it for granted, but that’s a really big deal to just come in, perform at a level that can win a league title and keep this train rolling. That’s what special groups do, and I’m really, really proud of them.”
Myers continued her dominant run through the Centennial League, finishing 12 strokes ahead of Washburn Rural’s next-best finisher, Kailyn Petersen, to claim another individual championship. The senior has now won four straight league individual titles.
“Again, her golf game is incredible. It doesn’t just happen. The amount of time and work and effort and thought that she puts in,” Leroux said. “She’s a great student, but you can just tell how smart and intelligent she is when she’s talking about golf, knowing what needs to happen and when talking about the team and her teammates.”
Leroux said Myers’ impact has gone beyond her performance on the course, helping establish the team culture he wants to build in his first season.
“She genuinely cares and thinks about her teammates,” Leroux said. “The best compliment that I can give her and this team, we have a couple of tournaments that we go to in Kansas City. They’re two-hour drives and they do not stop talking the whole time. It is two and a half hours of jokes and games and chatting and music, and that’s the stuff you remember as a player.
“Wins are nice and stuff, but knowing if there are people that care about you and you can have a good time with while still competing and going after a goal, she’s really helped cultivate that of, ‘Hey, this is a family,’ not just a group of girls that golf together.”
Myers wasn’t the only Indian to turn in a strong performance.
Lilly Nelson shot a 91 to finish sixth, while Gabby Fehr and Addy Crouch each shot 93 to tie for seventh. Emily Hartung finished 12th with a 97, and Brooke Jones rounded out the Manhattan lineup in 13th with a 99.
The four top-seven finishes helped the Indians pull away from the rest of the league. Washburn Rural finished second at 362, followed by Hayden at 387, Emporia at 418 and Junction City at 458.
Leroux was particularly pleased with the performances from Nelson and Hartung, two freshmen who have taken on larger roles as the season has progressed.
“We had our two freshmen step up today, which I was really proud of,” Leroux said. “Lilly Nelson shot a 91. She’s a kid that loves golf, and she’s one of those team players you just want on your team in any sport.”
Hartung joined the varsity lineup after the Indians’ first couple of tournaments and has provided a steady presence since.
“She’s been a really great addition to our team,” Leroux said. “She has just been even-keeled, steady and consistent. All of the girls are very excited for her when she does well, and I’m really excited to see where both of them go.”
Crouch also continued to provide leadership alongside Myers, something Leroux said has stood out during the Indians’ transition to a new coaching staff.
“We have really great leadership on this team,” Leroux said. “Obviously, Maddie does a great job, and then Addy Crouch, she played well, and her leadership continues to impress me.”
“Our group, they’re all great teammates, and I think that’s really important for the growth of a program,” Leroux continued. “Our group is a mix of all classes. Which, again, as a coach, that’s what you live for. You want to have the future, but you also want to have some veterans that are leading it along.”
The Indians also had the benefit of playing the league championship on their home course at Stagg Hill, something Leroux said the team embraced.
“They loved it. They were very excited,” Leroux said. “Obviously, Stagg Hill takes care of us. They really support us, and they really care about the girls’ golf program. And we want to do right by them. So whenever someone comes into our home course, we want to make sure that we show love to the place that we play at the most.”
While the league title continues Manhattan’s run of success, Leroux said there is still plenty for the Indians to improve before regionals and state.
“Just getting more experience with the game of golf and learning how to score in ways that arise during a competition,” Leroux said. “Again, we’re a little inexperienced, so sometimes you can see that growth kind of happening in real time.”
As Leroux begins to put his own stamp on the program, he said he remains mindful of the foundation built by former coaches Paige McCarthy and Chris George.
“Just again, want to give a shoutout to Coach McCarthy, who really built this, and Coach George even before her. They really built this thing into a machine that just pumps out really good girls and really good golfers,” Leroux said. “I’m happy to put my own twist on it, but also live up to the shoulders of giants that I’m standing on.”
Manhattan will return to action Wednesday at the Lawrence Invitational at Eagle Bend Golf Course. The Indians will then compete in the Hutchinson Invitational Thursday at Carey Park before returning to Stagg Hill to host the Manhattan Invitational Monday.