Sidney girls' golf takes third place at Hillside

In its first tournament of the 2014 season at Hillside golf course on Tuesday, the Sidney girls' golf team placed third out of nine teams, with a score of 401.

In the individuals, junior Rachel Blauert shot a 93 on the day and finished fifth overall. Junior Megan Neal finished ninth in the individuals with an 18-hole score of 101.

Head coach Dani Kuchar said she was particularly impressed with two of her freshmen, Jordan Cook and Emma Alexander, who shot a 103 and 104 respectively.

"I had those two freshmen on varsity today and I didn't know what would happen coming in," Kuchar said. "They just came out and played their best 18 holes, had fun and really showed a lot of youth strength on our team."

Tuesday at Hillside was Alexander's first tournament at any level. But she was able to control any fears she may have had to produce a nice score on the morning.

"I was very nervous because this was my first tournament I've ever played," Alexander said. "I just wanted to get going because I was fresh off the range and was already warmed up, so I was kind of excited but also very nervous."

Alexander said she got more comfortable as the morning went on.

"My first few holes were the worst and then I gradually got better and the rest went up from there," Alexander said.

Meanwhile, Cook said she did her best to shake her nerves and focus on each shot one at a time.

"I just wanted to think about my next shot and where I wanted it to land," Cook said.

For Cook, it's all about taking everything in stride. She knows she is a young golfer on this team and there is plenty of time for her to improve her game.

"I just had to keep reminding myself that this was the first tournament of the year and I'm only going get better," Cook said. "Instead of worrying about what I've done in the past I need to worry about what I'm going to hit next."

Sidney will also host the conference tournament Friday morning at Hillside. Kuchar says she expects her girls will be able to iron a few wrinkles out from their performances on Tuesday.

"There were some jitters today [Tuesday]," Kuchar said. "On Friday I think it will make a huge difference just having 18 holes under their belts."

Individual Scores

Sidney varsity: Rachel Blauert (Jr.) 93; Megan Neal (Jr.) 101; Jordan Cook (Fr.) 103; Emma Alexander (Fr.) 104; Kaleigh Chavez (Sr.) 112.

Sidney junior varsity: Theda Parker (Jr.) 106; Taylor Parsons (Jr.) 115; Alli Ehler (Sr.) 117; Dru Rowan (Fr.) 125; Paige Langley (Fr.) 129

Team Scores

1st Ogallala 393

2nd Scottsbluff 394

3rd Sidney 401