By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
OTSEGO—The Plainwell girls golf team didn’t just win the M-89 Challenge on Friday, Sept. 18.
The Trojans did so with some room to spare.
Putting four golfers at 46 or better, Plainwell posted a team score of 175 at the LYNX Golf Course to finish 11 strokes ahead of runner-up Gull Lake.
Gull Lake finished at 186, followed closely by Otsego at 188.
Hopkins placed fourth at 200, with Hamilton fifth at 210. Thornapple Kellogg (213), Wayland (226) and Allegan (249) rounded out the field.
“Congratulations to the Plainwell Trojans,” LYNX representatives wrote in a social media post. “It’s always fun to watch the young golfers compete.
Plainwell senior Ayla Jaeger led the champions with a 41, good for third place overall.
Junior Emma Rayman was right behind her with a 43, while sophomore Raygan Truitt shot 45 and senior Sam LaBonte completed the Trojans’ scoring with a 46.
Sophomore Addison Lyke added a 47, while senior Avery Powell finished at 51.
Gull Lake senior Allison Vanhuysen earned medalist honors with a 37, but the next two spots belonged to golfers from Allegan County.
Otsego senior Annika Quakenbush finished runner-up with a 40, followed by Jaeger at 41.
Quakenbush helped the Bulldogs finish just two strokes behind Gull Lake for second place. Senior Malania Miller shot 46 for Otsego, while juniors Alissa Holmes and Hallie Prough each finished at 51.
Senior Madden Fitzpatrick added a 55 for the Bulldogs.
Hopkins was led by Annika Ford, who tied Truitt for fifth overall with a 45. Sofia Lavigne shot 50, Emerie VanBonn 51 and Lily Dehring 54 for the Vikings.
Hamilton sophomore Aliyah Pitsch and Allegan senior Kaylee Haas each shot 48 to tie for 11th.
Caroline Behnke added a 53 for Hamilton, followed by Bella Deroo at 54, Emma Slotman at 55, Rylee Zwagerman at 57 and Maci Brott at 58.
Wayland was led by Bre Hoogewind with a 52. Delilah Huyser shot 53, while Peyton Prenatt finished at 59 and Piper Huston at 62.
For Allegan, Evelyn Hoffmeister followed Haas with a 61, while Ava Thompson shot 68.
The M-89 Challenge is an annual event hosted by the LYNX for area boys and girls golf teams.
