DARLINGTON — Macie Shirk remembers what defeat felt like at the Montgomery County girls’ golf meet last fall.
A night when then Crawfordsville senior Bailey Mittal overtook Shirk for medalist honors to lift the Athenians to their first county title since 2019.
It wasn’t a good finish for Shirk and her teammates.
But Wednesday night at Rocky Ridge Golf Club, things were different for the Mounties. Order was restored when they dominated the county field and Shirk was right in the middle of it.
The senior fired a 39 to help Southmont to a 165 — 43 strokes better than second-place North Montgomery (208), with Crawfordsville placing third at 233.
“Tonight went a lot better,” Shirk said. “I just really wanted to come out and win, because last year we didn’t.”
Shirk wasn’t the only one who was upset with how things finished last season at the county meet, which included a two-stroke win for the Athenians.
“We talked about it,” Southmont coach Bill Whalen said about last years’ loss. “They still give me a hard time, because they say it’s probably the maddest they’ve ever seen me as a coach. To lose that was a little bit hard to swallow last year.”
Shirk and her returning teammates made sure it didn’t happen again. Fellow senior Bailey Barker fired a 44, while senior Taylor Grino shot a 46.
The real story was freshman Addison Meadows — who fired an even par 36 to earn medalist honors.
“I was very happy with myself, and it honestly means the world to me,” Meadows said. “Playing with Macie and Taylor and the rest of my team is like family. I’ve grown a lot since the beginning of the season. And the team makes it fun and we try and make it fun for each other.”
Stella Snook fired a 55 and Kelsey Thompson a 56 for the Mounties.
“A 165, I really like that,” Whalen said. “It’s a nice score and I’m proud of what they did.”
North Montgomery seniors Ella Stultz and Morgan Swick led the Chargers with a pair of 51s.
“Tonight’s about the three seniors,” Chargers coach Nick Johnson said. “Morgan played well. And it didn’t end like she wanted it to, but she was right there with two holes to go. The seniors have been the leaders of the team all year, actually the last two years since we didn’t have any last year. So I just appreciate all their effort and parents for getting things together. It’s kind of a bittersweet night.”
Grace Shrader fired a 52 and Grace Littell a 54, while Shayna Ratcliff shot a 58 and Rylie Koopman a 67.
Carli Payne led Crawfordsville with a 48, while McKenzie Wilson shot a personal best 53. Christen Saunders fired a 62 and Nancy Blanchard a 70.
“McKenzie equaled her best with a 53 and Carli was her second-best with a 48,” Crawfordsville coach Tony Thomas said. “We shot a 250 on Saturday and a 233 tonight, so a lot better effort. We are trying to keep a positive mindset.”
