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Freshman Snively, youthful Zionsville crowned state champions
CARMEL – Zionsville coach Maggie Nobbe had been at this point before.
Nobbe once played for the Eagles, as she was a member of the school’s 2017 state champions, which claimed the trophy here at Prairie View Golf Club.
Now in her fifth season as head coach, Nobbe guided these Eagles to their first state title since that season, behind the play of freshman Taylor Snively who captured individual honors with an even-par 144.
“I just wanted to give these girls a mindset,” Nobbe said of her experience playing for a state championship squad. “These girls went out there with total confidence and with no fear. That was our motto for these two days and that’s what these girls did."
Zionsville finished the 52nd annual state finals with a 627 score, following up its first-round total of 315 with a 312 in round two. That was good enough to overcome first-round leader Noblesville (310-322-632). Hamilton Southeastern placed third with 652, one-shot ahead of fourth-place Westfield.
It’s a remarkable performance for Zionsville considering the Eagles are comprised of exactly zero seniors. Snively and Avery Lewis (163) are freshmen, Kaitlyn Adler (167) and Paige Henney (165) are sophomores and Amaya Wade (159) is a junior.
Only one other team in the field (South Bend Saint Joseph, which finished 10th) fielded a team without seniors.
“We are a very young team,” Nobbe said, “but the girls didn’t care. We tried to get better every tournament and that’s what we did. It’s gives us confidence going into next year. We’ll be a target, too, but we’ll take it.”
Snively had an impressive weekend, shooting a 72 in each round, winning individual honors by two strokes over Castle senior Ashley Kirkland – who had the low-round of the tournament with a 3-under par, 69 on Saturday.
Snively becomes only the third freshman to win the individual title and also the first individual champ to play for the team champions since 1999.
Martinsville’s Leigh Anne Hardin and the Artesians completed a three-peat that season.
Snively finished the first round tied with Westfield’s Addi Kooi and Floyd Central’s Paige Giovenco who both slumped to a 76 in round two.
Those two finished tied for third at 4-over par.
Snively’s score included a triple-bogey on the final hole in round two, but she had built a four-stroke lead by that point.
“That last hole was a little stressful,” Snively admitted, “but my coaches were with me the last six holes to help me keep my head up and stay in the moment. I got some good putts to go down on 15, 16 and 17 and that helped.”
“Taylor is the kind of person that just goes out there and plays her game,” Nobbe said. “Even with that, she’s equally in there for her teammates. She loves this game and played a solid tournament.
So, with a team of underclassmen and a freshman individual champion, what can the Eagles do for an encore?
“I don’t know,” Snively said. “I’m just going to celebrate this and have fun.”
Hole-in-One!
Carmel's Sophie Mock made history during Friday's first round becoming the third golfer to record a hole-in-one at the IHSAA girls golf state championship. She used a pitching wedge to perfectly solve the 106-yard, par-3 12th hole at Prairie View Golf Club. She joins Castle's Hailey Kirkland (2020) and Fishers' Morgan Lewis (2015) in the exclusive club of aces.
Castle's Ashley Kirkland named Mental Attitude Award recipient
Senior Ashley Kirkland of Castle High School was named the winner of this year's Mental Attitude Award during the awards ceremony.
Each year the IHSAA Executive Committee presents the award to a senior participant, who was nominated by her principal and coach, and has best demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in golf.
An academic honors student and three-time state runner-up, Ashley is the daughter of Keith and Sarah Kirkland of Newburgh, Indiana. She is verbally committed to Xavier University where she'll play golf for the Musketeers while studying Actuarial Sciences.
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, IHSAA corporate partner, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Castle High School's general scholarship fund in the name of Kirkland.
