By RYAN WALKER
GENEVA — The South Adams girls’ golf invitational officially kicked off the 2024-25 sports season, and Wells County knocked it out of the park, well not litterally.
Out of the 10 schools participating at Wabash Valley Golf Course, the three county teams finished first, third and fourth.
Norwell was the overall champion, sitting at a 380 for its first outing of the year. Frankton was second at 393. Bluffton came in third at 396, and Southern Wells finished fourth at 404.
The hosting South Adams Starfires came in fifth, but were ahead by 28 strokes. Full results can be found at the bottom of the story.
It wasn’t just a great day for the teams, but for individuals as well.
Bluffton’s Emma Schwartz was the top golfer with a score of 82. The junior is entering this season after qualifying for the regional last year. The Tigers other scorers included a sixth-place finish for Eve Corkwell with a 96, Piper Morgan in 22nd at 111 and Addison Kauffman 27th with a 112.
Norwell went second and third by way of Savanna Simerman and Ellie Gatton, shooting an 85 and 88. Kylie Nevius came in 13th with a 102, Jessica Bynum 15th at 105 and Emma Burnau 19th at 108.
Sophia Meeks and Caroline Ripperger were the top players for Southern Wells, posting a score of 96 and tying for sixth place. Kolbie Beavans finished 11th at 101, Collena Reeves 24th at 111 and Erika Beavans scored a 118.
The next meet will be at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6 at Cross Creek Golf Course in Decatur for the Bellmont Invitational.
Team scores
1. Norwell (380 score), 2. Frankton (393), 3. Bluffton (396), 4. Southern Wells (404), 5. South Adams (432), 6. Adams Central (437), 7. Bellmont (456), 8. Jay County (478), 9. Heritage (484), 10. (607).
Top individual scores
1. Emma Schwartz (BLU, 92 score), 2. Savanna Simerman (NOR, 85), 3. Ellie Gatton (NOR, 88), 4. Julia Arnold (SA, 89), 5. Lily Hall (FR, 91), T6. Sophia Meeks (SW, 96), T6. Eve Corkwell (BLU, 96), T6. Kylie Tomlinson (FR, 96), T6. Caroline Ripperger (SW, 96), 10. London Smith (AC, 98).
