The South O’Brien Girls Golf Team competed in the 1A Regional Final on Monday, March 24, at the Holstein Golf Course on a beautiful but windy day. South O’Brien was one of eight teams that qualified for the event, hoping to earn a spot at the 2021 1A State Golf Meet set for June 1 and 2. The top two teams and top six individuals qualify to compete in the state tournament.
South O’Brien came in with a 406 for fifth place. Although they didn’t qualify for state as a team, they played some great golf. The competition was pretty tough with Central Lyon (383 total) and Newell-Fonda (387) earning the top two team spots. Remsen St. Mary’s also came in at 387. The score of the Mustangs’ fifth golfer was one stroke better than that of the fifth golfer for St. Mary’s, giving Newell-Fonda second place.
Individually, the Wolverines played some of their best golf in a field of 50 golfers. Senior Breana Bottjen placed 13th with a 99. Samantha Wilbur finished 16th with a 101. Sophomore Whitney Einck carded a 102 for 20th place. Senior Kaeley Einck finished 25th with a 104.
Kaeley is a four-year varsity letter winner and 1st team all-conference golfer. “Her leadership will be missed next year,” said South O’Brien Girls Golf Coach Kris Faust. Breana joined the team her senior year and had a great season, finishing with a personal best at the Regional Final. “I wish she would have been on the team all four years,” said Faust. “She improved tremendously from the beginning to the end of the season.”
The coach added these comments on her underclassmen, “Whitney and Samantha have really grown in their first season of varsity golf. They work hard to continually improve. I expect them to be out on the course a lot this summer, and it will pay off when our season starts next spring. They are sure to come back strong next year and be team leaders.”
Faust took a look back at the now-concluded season, saying, “I am extremely proud of the four gals on the team this year. They have faced some intense pressure to do well at every meet all season. We didn’t have six scores to choose from at meets like other schools. They each had to consistently come in strong, so we could do well as a team.” She ended by stating, “They are true competitors.”
Team Results

*Central Lyon 383, *Newell-Fonda 387, Remsen St. Mary’s 387, Akron-Westfield 397, South O’Brien 406, Gehlen Catholic 407, Woodbury Central 436, MMCRU 452.
*=State qualifier
South O’Brien scores: Breana Bottjen 52-47—99, Samantha Wilbur 49-52—101, Whitney Einck 51-51—102, Kaeley Einck 52-52—104.
Individual State qualifiers: Alexis Barber, Newell-Fonda (score of 87); Jayden Barthole, Gehlen Catholic (87); Tori Galle, Remsen St. Mary’s (87); Natalie Nielsen, Akron-Westfield (88); Tatum Jensen, Central Lyon (91); Emma Vohs, Ridge View (92).