Skyhawks claim Sunrise throne

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004 | 9:28 a.m.

6. Should weather, darkness, etc., not allow for the completion of the round, final team and individual scores will be based on the results of the 9-hole totals, provided every player in the field has completed 9 holes.

In the event the round has to be postponed, it will be rescheduled for the next possible and available date.

In the event the round cannot be rescheduled, the regular-season Northwest and Southwest league champions will serve as the region's top two qualifiers for the state tournament.

-- NIAA regulations

It wasn't that long ago that the Silverado girls' golf team was forfeiting matches.

Now, they're Sunrise Region champions.

With Green Valley's 12-year dominant run finally over, the door was left open for the Skyhawks to take their first regional golf championship Tuesday with a team score of 444 at the par 72 Tuscany Golf Club in Henderson. Coronado finished second with a 462 to join Silverado in getting an invitation to the state golf tournament next week in Reno.

"I'm extremely pleased," said Silverado coach Tari Hawks. "I think we were a little bit underestimated because of the scores. At times we had to forfeit. I felt really good to have all six of them."

Hawks said that at times, some of her players were at tournaments elsewhere, leaving her forfeiting like many of the other Sunrise schools, although for a different reason.

Overall team scores on Tuesday were very high, as two teams didn't even have a golfer shoot in the 90s. Silverado was the school with the least scores in the 100s, with two.

"My one and two held steady," Hawks said. "It was the help of the three, four, and five that stepped up and shot some of their best."

Coronado sophomore Alex Gibson repeated as the Sunrise Region medalist, shooting par at 72. Silverado's Stephanie Bird and Chloe Nelson tied at 76 for second place.

"I improved my putting," Gibson said. "Overall, I didn't hit the ball very straight. But I thought the low 70s could cut it."

Gibson shot a 34 on the back nine to edge the two Silverado girls. She said now her team's focused on heading towards state.

"My teammates were a little disappointed," she said. "Now we have to go out and try harder."

Also qualifying for the state tournament as individuals were Valley's Susan Park (78), Green Valley's Laura Redfern (84), Erika Schroeder (90), and Whitney Harrison (93), and Basic's Lauren Loucks (105).

Spanish Springs Lindsay Hoskins, Bishop Manogue's Elysse Siu, South Tahoe's Mollie Novasel, Carson's Liz Rankl, and Kristina Coyler from Douglas also advanced to the state tournament.