Gary Dudgeon
To have one local high school golfer standing amongst the top 15 in the state should make any avid linksman's heart swell with pride. To have two gives local golfers, parents, teachers and school administrators the right to boast on greens from South Bend to Jeffersonville or anywhere they may lay their clubs.
What Brianna Scheidler and Megan Gindling did for local golf doesn't compare to what they did for each other. All season, they were each other's best competitors and ultimately, made each other better. Stroke by stroke, hole by hole they battled and after out playing the competition meet after meet, in they end, they proved the game within the game was which girl would come away with the medal. That competition carried them all the way to state.
The difference between the two boils down to a one-stroke
advantage for Scheidler who recorded a 75-78 - 153 for the two-day
event while Gindling posted a 79-75 - 154 for the two days. To make
their dual accomplishment more significant, only one other team in
the state can lay claim to what these two girls did this year -
Indianapolis Roncalli - who had two girls tie the two Lady Pirates for
13th and 15th place, respectively.
Carmel, Columbus North and Noblesville had two players place in
the top 20 but only Greensburg and Roncalli had two girls in the top
15.
During the season the Pirates were unbeaten in dual and triangular
matches and a big part of their success was the presence of one of
two names at the top of the leader board in every match. When the
golfing was done, either Scheidler or Gindling were No. 1. Most
often, the other golfer was No. 2.
When it came down to the state tournament, Scheidler was playing
on the second day for the second time; for Gindling it was her first.
“For Megan to end her high school golf career with this kind of final
state tournament was exciting to watch and an appropriate way to
finish,” Coach Phyllis Hamilton said. “This was the best score for
her at the finals in all of the four years she had played, another
reason she should be proud. She has been a vital part of the
Pirates' success each of the last four years. We will miss her.”
For her exploits Scheidler was honored with All-State recogonition,
the only honor the two golfers did not share.
She will be returning to the links for the Lady Pirates with hopes of
matching Gindling’s record of four state final appearances when the
2009 season comes around.
Since neither the Daily News or the Greensburg athletic department
was able to determine who deserved the honor more, “ladies, we
have a tie.”
The Daily News is proud to honor Megan Gindling and
Brianna Scheidler as our Female Co-Athletes of the Fall.
