After winning their first state title in school history, the Red Devils bring back a load of talent to defend their championship.
Hinsdale Central is in good shape with five returning starters, losing only Danielle Smith to graduation. Senior Erin Bruns was 34th and junior Maria Harrast placed 71st in last year’s Class AA state meet.
Over the summer, Bruns placed in the top 12 in four Mid-American Junior Golf Tour events and eighth in the MAJGT Championship. Harrast won two IJGA tournaments and ranks 14th in the player of the year standings. She tied for fifth at the MAJGT Championship.
“We’ll just focus on the process,” Devils coach Nick Latorre said. “It’s day to day. We work on our preparation, our attitude and being a team player.”
Hinsdale Central has plenty of others with summer tournament experience to help fill in. Senior Jahanavi Gaur, Roshannah’s older sister, ranks ninth in the IJGA player of the year race, while senior Stephanie Spitzer competed in eight IJGA tournaments and was second in the Players Day at St. Andrews. Sophomore Madison Labedz won the Jarvis Memorial on July 6 and two other IJGA sectionals. Sophomore Gabriela Smith, Danielle Smith’s sister, competed in 14 tournaments.
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Roshannah Gaur, sophomore: With at least three tournament wins this summer, the area’s top returning golfer from last year’s state meet will be one of the leaders when the defending champion Red Devils open the season Aug. 18 at the Plainfield North Invitational at Whitetail Ridge.
The Hinsdale resident earned her biggest win of the summer Aug. 5 by shooting a two-day 149 to win the Illinois Women’s Golf Association State Junior Amateur at the University of Illinois Orange course in Savoy.
Gaur registered wins at the Illinois Junior Golf Association Summer Elite Series (153) May 2-3 at White Pines and in the Mid-American Junior Golf Tour Championship (226) July 27-29 at Illinois State.
“I felt that my game was at its best for both the ISU tournament and the IWGA State Junior,” Gaur said. “I was able to finish off my season on a high note with both of those tournaments and, hopefully, I will have continued success in the next few months during my high school season.”
Gaur, who ranks third in the MAJGT player of the year standings, tied for second at the IJGA Jarvis Memorial July 6 at Cress Creek in Naperville.
“Looking back on my freshman year at Hinsdale Central, I was able to play some of my best golf at the end of the high school season,” Gaur said. “I had to keep my game dialed in throughout the season and into the state championship. I wasn’t as focused on scores or rankings, but instead I just wanted to play my best.”
Red Devils coach Nick Latorre said Gaur made good progress last season.
“I saw a talented golfer that had to adjust to high school,” Latorre said. “At the end of last year, she got really comfortable.”
Jessica Lee, junior: Lee, who placed 18th at the state meet, finished fifth at the PGA Junior Series ArborLinks July 20-22 in Nebraska City, Nebraska, finishing with a three-day total of 219.
“If you want to be competitive, you have to be able to travel,” Lee said.
Lee competed in two major AJGA events closer to home, snaring a sixth-place finish in the Midwest Junior Players Championship at Mistwood and ninth at the Forest Lake Championship in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Lee competed in three MAJGT events in the spring and finished in the top seven in each two-day event. Her best was fifth in the Sanctuary Open in New Lenox.
Selina Zeng, junior: Zeng tied for 22nd at the state meet and was the medalist at the regional with a 76.
Zeng, from Oak Brook, posted her best scores early in the summer while winning an IJGA sectional May 9 and placing second in the MAJGT Geneva National from June 16-18 in Wisconsin with a three-day 221.
In July, Zeng tied for ninth at the AJGA Midwest Junior Players Championship at Mistwood.