Park Hill South will return four letter winners this year when the golf team hits the links to open the 2018 season. That is almost a complete change compared to last year when coach Tracy Mangels had only one golfer returning to the lineup.
This year’s squad will be led by a pair of seniors that earned state experience last year: Sadie Franklin and Maddie Hill.
Franklin was a first-team all-district pick after taking fifth place in Class 2 District 8 and then added a ninth-place finish in sectionals to secure a second straight trip to the state championships. Hill was 19th at districts but improved at the Class 2 Sectional 4 meet by coming in tied for 15th.
Franklin took 83rd at state, while Hill finished 92nd at the finals in Sedalia.
The Panthers return a first-team Suburban Conference golfer in Annie McFee, a junior and senior Olivia Seibert.
The only departure from the varsity team is Kate Eischens, who was a sectional qualifier after a top-15 finish in districts.
Park Hill South went 6-2 last year to win the Suburban Conference title and took third in the district meet, one spot shy of advancing the team to sectionals.
“We have a large squad of girls and many have played competitive this offseason,” Mangels said. “This is a year that we have a real chance to make a postseason run due to the returning players we have. Four of the top five girls are returning and based on what I have seen in the offseason, there are some young girls that will compete for some playing time.”