ARLINGTON, Ohio — It wasn’t just a memorable afternoon at Sycamore Springs.
For Madison coach Tim Dean and his Rams, it was unprecedented.
Jenna Messner and Caitlyn Sneed carded matching 95s as Madison punched its ticket to the district tournament for the first time in school history with a third-place finish at the Division I sectional.
The Rams shot a team total of 401, four strokes better than fourth-place finisher Norwalk.
Madison will join sectional champ Ashland (330) and runner-up Findlay (349) at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green on Tuesday.
“I was absolutely shocked,” said Dean, who has coached the Rams for the past four years. “I didn’t think our number was going to be low enough, but I saw some other team scores being posted and I started to think we had a chance.
“When all of the scores were finally posted, it was a surreal moment. The girls were so excited.”
First-year golfer Egypt Murphy shot a 104, while senior and returner letter winner Alyson Holzworth carded a 107. Jackie Leudy had a 119.
“We had two returning golfers (Messner and Holzworth) and four girls who had never played before,” Dean said. “These girls have played well the last few weeks.”
Madison finished fourth out of five teams at the Ohio Cardinal Conference Tournament, but came back to shoot a season-low 390 at the North Central Ohio Girls Golf League Tournament at Brookside. Messner broke her own school record with an 84 at the NCOGGL Tournament.
“They have put together a few good rounds now,” Dean said. “They have really responded.”
A sophomore and Madison’s No. 5 player, Sneed shot a 50 on the front Tuesday. She rallied with a 45 on the back nine.
“She was the hero of the day,” Dean said. “She was our last golfer in. When her score was posted, the girls were all jumping up and down.”
The Rams will play free and easy at next week’s district tournament. Only one team and one individual will advance to the state tournament from Stone Ridge.
“We’re playing with house money now,” Dean said. “We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is great for our program.”
Dominant: Ashland ran away and hid from the 11-team field. Natalie Shultz was the medalist with a 77 and teammate Anna Watson took medalist runner-up honors with an 80. Emily Brustoski (86) and Leah Metzger (87) finished fifth and sixth, respectively while Emma Swain (93) finished ninth.