Mercer Island boys golf third at state

The Mercer Island boys golf finished in third place at the 3A state tournament on Wednesday in Spokane. The Islanders earned 69.5 points, behind Enumclaw in second and Seattle Prep in first.

As the only team with two individuals in the top 10, the Islanders were able to secure their fourth trophy in six years. Those two finishes were also enough to put the team ahead of competitors with a larger contingent.

"We're very, very thrilled," said head coach Tyson Peters. "I think anytime you can compete at the state level it's a honor. It's quite an accomplishment. Both the first and second team had four guys in the second round."

Kyle Code tied for fifth place individually, earning a 72 on day one and a 70 onday two for a 142 two day total. Teammate Charlie Kern was seventh with a two day score of 143. He had a 73 on day one and 70 on day two.

"Both Kyle and Charlie came out and shot two under on day two," said Peters.

Crawford Leeds just missed the cut to qualify for the second day after earning a 79 in day one. The last golfer to qualify finish with 78 strokes. George Jiranek also finished the first day out of the race for round two with an 83.

Peters said after qualifying four from last fall's district competition, they had hoped to have a larger presence in the second round.

"We were hoping to get at least three through to the second round and then we knew we'd have a very competitive chance at the title, but unfortunately only two made the cut, so they were a little disheartened," said Peters. Even so, the solid showing for the team was enough to bring back a trophy.

"We were really happy with the way the season ended," he said.

In the boys 1A competition Northwest Yeshiva High School's Elie Aboulafia finished in second place, just eight strokes behind the winner. Aboulafia shot a 72 on day on, followed by an 82 on the second day for a 160 total. Ryan Baumgart of DeSales High School took the title with a two day total of 152.

 

See a complete list of results on the WIAA Web site.

Contact Mercer Island Reporter Reporter Megan Managan at mmanagan@mi-reporter.com or (206) 232-1215 ext. 5054.

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