The South O’Brien Girls Golf Team, led by seniors Sam Wilbur and Whitney Einck, put an exclamation point on their season, earning the War Eagle Conference Tournament title at The Ridge in Sioux Center on Tuesday, May 2. The Wolverines carded a 413 total, beating the second-place Hinton Blackhawks decisively by eight strokes. Samantha Wilbur fired a career-best 85 to win individual medalist honors. Gehlen’s Jayden Barthole took 2nd place with a 93, eight strokes behind Wilbur. “Sam came determined to make a statement today, and she did,” stated South O’Brien coach Kris Faust. “It was fun to see her enjoying the game so much.” Wilbur will be playing golf for Dordt University next year, so she was excited to find success on what will be her home course next year.
Although Wilbur’s card put South O’Brien way ahead of the pack, the Wolverines needed three more respectable scores to win the tournament. Senior Whitney Einck contributed a career-best 46 on the front and finished with a 104, which put her in a tie for 8th place. Einck earned the 9th-place medal after a handicap hole card playoff. Sophomore Addison Brueggeman hit under her average at 110. “Addison did her part for the team but sadly missed the medals by just one stroke,” noted Faust. Freshman Lindsey Einck also shot a career-best 51 on the front and finished with 114 to help the team. Said Faust, “Sam’s score definitely set us up for the win, but Whitney, Addison, and Lindsey did their part as well to seal the deal!” 
WEC Tournament Team Scores
1st – South O’Brien 413, 2nd – Hinton 421, 3rd – Akron-Westfield 422, 4th – Gehlen Catholic 422, 5th – Remsen St. Mary’s 426, 6th – HMS 440, 7th – MMCRU 446, 8th – Unity Christian 454, 9th – Harris-Lake Park 471. Trinty and West Sioux (no teams).