Owen Valley golfer turns heartbreak into happiness at sectional

As Owen Valley's Jacklyn Wheeler stood in front of the board as the scorecards were filled in, a sense of relief and accomplishment washed over her.

Like last year, the margins were razor thin: every shot mattered. Unlike last year, she had to play only 18 holes , as her 94 made her the top individual qualifier in the Bloomington North girls golf sectional under cool, cloudy skies at Cascades Golf Course on Monday, Sept. 21.

She couldn't help but think back to this same time last year. The heartbreak she was determined to avoid.

"Oh my gosh, it was a surreal moment," she said. "I've thought about that moment all year. That's what I was spotting for today. I wanted to come back and win it."

Last year, at the end of a rain-soaked round, Wheeler and South's Kirin Bowden were forced into a playoff when both shot 97s. They each bogeyed the Quarry No. 9 hole on the first try. The second, Wheeler got stuck in a bunker and Bowden won the day.

Her head coach, Matt Beckwith, predicted before the season that the work she put in would give her a chance at redemption. On cue, she was the one this time who made the clutch shot on her last hole to become OV's first regional qualifier since Mariah Summers in 2017 .

"I was laying seven, and I had a putt from off the green," Wheeler said. "I made it. That shot was the best. It was off the green and at least a 20-footer, and I made it.

After a difficult start. Overnight rains crashed down, forcing the tournament to tee off at noon (instead of 8:30 a.m.) with a shotgun start. That eventually caused a backup, even with circle double-par rules in place, resulting in five-plus-hour rounds and the opportunity to lose patience and focus.

"The mental part of it was very difficult," Wheeler said. "You just had to keep a positive mentality. It was a great temperature out, it wasn't super hot. The course was in great shape for the conditions, I was actually expecting a lot worse than what it was.

"So I played good, but we just had to keep the mentality that whatever we got, we could battle through it."

And it is a 'we' thing to her with her family in tow all through the day, the same people responsible for the improvement she's made over the past year.

"Just the help of my parents and help from everybody around me," Wheeler said. "Just the way that I present myself through my parents. I want to carry my dad's name because he was a golfer, my mom was a golfer. To me, that means a lot. I want it for me and I want it for them.

Wheeler was one of three local golfers to advance as individuals

The host Cougars also made it out as a team with a second-place finish to the one team that seemed immune to the conditions. Martinsville won the title for the 33rd time with a 343, while also posting the top four scores of the day: Jocelyn Mercer, the medalist, at 82; Maddie Martin at 84; Lillian Lam at 86; and Olivia Hittel at 91.

North was second at 383, then came a dogfight for third that Bloomington South lost in heartbreaking fashion.

The Panthers and Columbus East each fired a 415 to keep Columbus North (416) and Indian Creek (417) at bay, but with Lizzy Yaley having to pull out with a back issue, that left only four golfers, allowing the Olympians to advance with a fifth score since there was no tie to break.

That left only senior Silvia Walker (96) to make the trip to the Legends for the Franklin Regional this Saturday and she'll be joined by Edgewood senior Libby McElhinney (97).

Wheeler and McElhinney had thoughts going in of making it out as individuals, knowing their teams would have a tough time cracking the top three. The Mustangs were seventh at 431, with OV next at 436, but will make it a run of three years in a row of being repped at regional.

McElhinney was the Western Indiana Conference medalist a couple of weeks ago, shooting a lifetime-best 79.

Back on her home course, McElhinney saw her score go up, but had to hang in on a day when she wasn't the only quality golfer working hard just to break 100.

"I think after the first few holes, I just had to keep my score manageable," McElhinney said. "I didn't play the best, but I realized I couldn't let my score go. When we got down to the end, I was thinking about a playoff."

McElhinney was a member of last year's first-ever Mustang team to qualify for regionals, so she knows the layout.

"She was coming off 13, just do the best you can because from what I hear everybody's saying, the scores are high," Edgewood coach Garry Lee said. "I'm happy for her. From where she was as a freshman to now, huge change."

Kate Johnson had a 93, and Ellie Bruce and Sadie Woodring each had 95s to lead the way for North, with Alli Rensi's 100 rounding out the effort.

"As a player, you don't really know where you fall," North coach Harrison Carmichael said. "And sometimes you might think that a shot didn't matter or this doesn't matter, and it all matters. Every shot does. If you reflect back on sectional for boys last year, it was a shot.

"That's always key to keep that in mind. Four and a half to five hours is a long time to keep the gas pedal down. But it's what's needed. We talk all year long about how this is the only day that matters."

Overall, the Cougars were three shots better than at the North Invite on a much drier, warmer day.

"Having more mature golfers, they all have the ability to what I call self-soothe," Carmichael said. "I don't feel the need, especially on their home course, to be there for every shot, or to be there when things are always hard.

"Because they've learned over the course of three or four years of varsity golf how to handle those situations."

Eastern Greene's Maddie Sylvester was the last individual qualifier out of the Bedford North Lawrence Sectional at Otis Park on Saturday.

The host stars ran away with the title for the 14th straight year, shooting a 357. Also moving on to the Terre Haute Regional at Hulman Links this Saturday were Seymour (393) and West Washington (460). Paoli was fifth (480), Orleans sixth (481), and Eastern Greene was seventh (487).

Sylvester shot a 109 to pace the T-Birds, with Izzi Forrester, a regional qualifier last year, shooting 117. Shelby Prince (123), Charlene Le Quere (138) and Baylee Meadows (140) rounded out Eastern's effort.

Emma Voris (79), Sammie Nusbaum (83), Kadynn Canada (91) and Bella Warren (104) topped BNL. Camley Whitfield of Paoli was the top individual qualifier with an 82, while Ava Hein of Trinity Lutheran shot a 106.

TEAM SCORES (Top 3 advance): Martinsville 343, Bloomington North 383, Columbus East 415*, Bloomington South 415, Columbus North 416, Indian Creek 417, Edgewood 431, Owen Valley 436, Brown County 466, Hauser 502, Bloomfield 532, Edinburgh, NTS.

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: Jacklyn Wheeler, OV 94; Silvia Walker, BS 96; Libby McElhinney, Edg 97.

LEADING INDIVIDUALS: 1. Jocelyn Mercer, M 82; 2. Maddie Martin, M 84; 3. Lilliam Lam, M 86; 4. Olivia Hittel, M 91; 5. Kate Johnson, BN 93; 6. Wheeler, OV 94; T7. Ellie Bruce, BN 95; Sadie Woodring, BN 95; 9. Walker, BS 96; 10. McElhinney, Edg 97.

Other Martinsville: Emma Peterson 97. Other Bloomington North: Alli Rensi 100, Annika Lowinger 107. Other Bloomington South: Addison Howell 101, Lyla Haugh 106, Kaley Howell 112, Liza Yeley, WD. Other Edgewood: Mallory Wilkie 101, Eden Norton 102, Lynlee Crouch 131, Leia Frye 139. Other Owen Valley: Hayley Amador 105, Makayla Hall 112, Addy Haltom 125, Viola Davis 137.