The Alexandria girls golf team might have as much experience coming back from the varsity level as any program in the area.
“Our team returns five of six players from the 2019 team that was the Central Lakes Conference champion,” head coach Tim Zupfer said. “We graduated one senior, Ciara O'Connor, in 2020. The returning players are still relatively young with no seniors on our roster this year. While we are young, we are actually quite experienced. Four of the five returning letter winners have two or more years of varsity playing experience.”
Juniors Cora Larson, Lauren Rebrovich and Isabella Hagen, and sophomores Hannah Boraas and Aisling O’Connor are the five letter winners expected to lead the way for this group.
“We believe we will be contenders for both a Central Lakes Conference title and a Section 8AAA title,” Zupfer said. “Brainerd will be one of the teams we have to contend with in both the conference and the section. I anticipate that Detroit Lakes and Bemidji will also contend in the section. Having lost an entire season, there may be other teams that develop and surprise us.”
It was disappointing for the Cardinals to lose out on their 2020 season with their entire lineup expected back last spring. That made for some high expectations that Alexandria was never able to chase. While there was no Minnesota State High School League season, players did still get on courses as they opened up when many other sports were still on a pause.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I believe the players really missed spending time together during the pandemic last spring,” Zupfer said. “While they were able to play and practice on their own, they missed the team experience. I will try to impress upon the players to enjoy the experience. Playing golf and being on the golf team is a very social experience. I think we will all be more grateful for what we have after losing it last season. Hopefully, we are able to do what needs to be done to stay safe and complete this season with no interuptions.”
The Cardinals have one of the top players in the state to lean on in Boraas. She is fresh off an impressive summer tournament schedule that included winning the Junior 13-15 Division in the Resorters Tournament at the Alexandria Golf Club.
The Cardinals have varsity experience at the top of the lineup and some up-and-comers vying to fill out the roster. It should lead to another solid season for an always-competitive program.
“We will try to develop all aspects of our individual games,” Zupfer said. “Everything starts with ball-striking. The short game is always a focus for us. I think we will also look to focus on course management and the mental part of the game. Having lost a season, I want the players to learn to enjoy the process and the experience more than they may have in the past. Sometimes we spend too much time trying to post a certain score, that we forget to enjoy the moment. If we focus more on the experience, I believe we can relax and perform even better.”
2021 ALEXANDRIA GIRLS GOLF
ROSTER - JUNIORS - Isabella Hagen, Cora Larson, Lauren Rebrovich; SOPHOMORES - Ella Houska, Hannah Boraas, Teryn Jaworski, Aisling O’Connor; FRESHMAN - Maddi Buysse; EIGHTH GRADE - Rachel Bowen, Kennedy Ellingson, Chloe Scholl; SEVENTH GRADE - Ellie Sticha
COACHES - Head coach - Tim Zupfer; Assistant coach - Deanne Novotny
ALEXANDRIA GIRLS GOLF
ADVERTISEMENT
April 19 at Rich Spring GC, 3:30 p.m.
April 20 at Territory Golf Club, 3:30 p.m.
April 26 at Willmar, 4 p.m.
April 28 AGC Invite, 9:30 a.m.
May 1 at Geneva GC, 9:30 a.m.
May 3 at Brainerd, 3:30 p.m.
May 6 at Fergus Falls, 4 p.m.
May 10 at Sartell, 4 p.m.
ADVERTISEMENT
May 13 at St. Cloud, 4 p.m.
May 14 at Park Rapids, 9:30 a.m.
May 17 CLC Championship at AGC, 4 p.m.
