Fagerlind Qualifies for state meet

After the girls team advanced to the second round of the Section 1AA Golf Tournament in Rochester, the Kasson-Mantorville golf team had a different goal on the second day to see if they could push anyone through to the state tournament. At the end of the day, K-M had two golfers have an excellent chance to make the cut and saw freshman Elizabeth Fagerlind make the cut to punch her ticket to this week’s Minnesota Class AA Golf Meet in Jordan, Minnesota.
Fagerlind was in great position after the first day of the tournament where she shot an opening round 86 to help the KoMets advance as a team along with Lake City, Rochester Lourdes and eventual section champion Red Wing.
Although it was a solid round that was going to be tough to top, Fagerlind was up for the challenge with a round that included a pair of birdies and seven pars on her way to an 81. That would give her a two-day score of 167 which obliterated the cutline of 179 to send her to state.
The other K-M contender for a state spot was Ashley Johnson, who had started to play her best golf toward the end of the year. Johnson had opened the tournament with a round of 88 and for most of the afternoon, she looked to play the same consistent golf she had been playing for the past month.
With four pars and a birdie, she would shoot a 91 that would force a playoff with Byron’s Grace Hillemeier. Ultimately, Johnson would come up just short on the first hole and Hillemeier would head to state.
On the boys side, Tyler Upham and Jack Nelson were looking to put a solid cap on the end of their season as they played on the second day as well. As an eighth-grader, Nelson showed the poise he’s shown throughout the year shooting a 92 on the second day for a total of 192 and a 29th place finish.
Upham also had a steady round making a fashion statement that head coach Jeff Bernards described as “KoMet Orange.” Upham shot a 98 on the second day for atournament total of 186, whichput him at 41st for the tourney.