Seventh heaven: QHS girls golf team wins its seventh straight WB6 championship

KEWANEE, Ill. — Sunday’s practice round at Midland Golf Club gave the Quincy High School girls team a blueprint for how to manage the course.

“They really concentrated and took good notes,” Blue Devils coach HanLynn Vahlkamp said.

Every notation led to something significant.

Four QHS golfers finished in the top six individually as the team cruised to its seventh consecutive Western Big 6 Conference championship, posting a 328 total. Geneseo was second at 373 and Moline third at 382.

“Today, it was a lot of good course management from many of them,” Vahlkamp said. “If they got in trouble, they got up and down. If they made a bogey, they were focused on trying to erase it with a birdie. There were lots of good decisions.”

Quincy senior Saya Geisendorfer earned medalist honors with a 1-over 73 and was followed by sophomore Sophia Gold at 78 and senior Maddie O’Brien at 88. Samantha Carmean shot an 89 — her first time breaking 90 — and tied for fourth with Geneseo’s Addie Mills and Moline’s Becca Cramer.

Those six earn first-team all-conference honors.

“I hadn’t watched the leaderboard a ton today,” Vahlkamp said. “But when I actually saw what (Carmean) shot, I texted her right away. … I was like, ‘You killed it.’”

The Blue Devils have two regular-season events remaining before chasing another state tournament berth, beginning September 29 in the Class 2A Peoria Richwoods Regional at Newman Golf Course.

“They are working very hard,” Vahlkamp said.