McGirr leads way for Green Valley

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

The faces may have been different, but the school atop the scoreboard was quite familiar at the conclusion of Tuesday's 4A Sunrise Region Girls Golf Championship at Henderson's Dragonridge Country Club.

Despite losing the top six golfers from last year's squad, four-time defending state champion Green Valley retained control on the east side of town, besting rival Silverado by nine strokes to capture the eight-team event.

"At the beginning of the year, we didn't know what we had," first-year Gators head coach Jim Nicksick said. "We knew we were young and inexperienced, and if someone had said we'd win our region, I would have figured it was a flip of the coin."

Green Valley, which added this year's inaugural regional title to its run of four consecutive Southern Zone championships and 112 straight dual match victories, won despite windy conditions that forced tournament organizers to shorten the event from 18 to nine holes.

Freshman Nicole McGirr led the way for the victors, posting an eight-over-par 44, helping the Gators to a five-golfer team score of 248. Chelsea Pendleton (47), Lindsay Beckstead (52), Becky Williams (52) and Monica Brown (53) rounded out Green Valley's scoring, with all four placing in the top nine individually.

"The beauty of this is with the young team we have, everybody but one return next year," Nicksick said. "With the success we've had this year, they'll probably get more involved in junior golf this summer, so they should be even better next year."

Silverado (257) and Foothill (309) placed second and third respectively, qualifying for next week's 4A State Tournament at the Genoa Lakes Golf Club in Genoa, located near Carson City.

McGirr also captured the individual title, outdueling Silverado junior Monika Lee in a two-hole playoff. McGirr actually had the trophy within her grasp in regulation before scoring an eight on the final hole to allow Lee to pull even.

After both golfers played the first extra hole in four, McGirr drove to the green on the second playoff hole, then putted within three feet of the flag. The freshman drained her short putt for the win.

"I wanted to win it very badly," McGirr said. "It was nice to get another chance (after hole No. 9)."

In addition to the top three teams, five individuals from non-qualifying schools also earned berths to the state tournament: Eldorado's Rebecca Cramer, Las Vegas High's Erin Elliott, Chaparral's Olivia Vreeland and Lindsay Hullinger and Basic's Karen Smuskiewics.

The Sunset Region will hold its tournament next Monday, also at Dragonridge. The two-day state tournament begins next Wednesday.