MUNCIE, Ind. — The emotions started to flow in for Delta’s girls golfers as they won their fourth straight IHSAA Muncie Central sectional title Saturday. It was also a particularly surreal moment for Belle Brown .
Last year , Brown competed for individual champion at the Crestview Golf Club as a junior. The match came down to the 18th hole where she was tied with Yorktown’s Kayleigh Agugliaro, and Brown hit the ball into the pond as Agugliaro went on to win match medalist by two strokes.
“I wasn’t even paying attention to my score last year,” Brown said. “I was devastated after, but I kept moving forward.”
More: Vote for The Star Press' IU Health high school football Player of Week 5
Brown did just that, leading the Delta’s girls golf team to multiple match wins and a Delaware County tournament victory this fall. However, Brown had two familiar opponents in this sectional — Agugliaro and Wes-Del freshman Jane Armington —– who finished higher than her at county.
“They are tough competitors,” Brown said. “But I wasn’t really focused on them as I was more focused on myself.”
Brown came out firing to begin the match as she birdied the first couple holes and continued to shoot three under par through the first nine holes. The match was close through the first nine holes in the girls golf tournament as Brown, Armington and Daleville senior Addy Gick were all within three strokes of one another.
Yet Brown pulled away as she finished six under par with a score of 66, a mark that ranked in the top-10 best in IHSAA sectional history and won her match medalist honors.
Following Brown was Agugliaro and Armington shooting par (72), Gick (75) and Mackenzie Brannon (84).
In 2022, the match was close as three girls finished with a score under 80 in a Muncie Central sectional match for the first time since 2012. This year, four girls shot under 80.
As the scores came in, Brown’s mother and grandmother were in attendance for what could have been her final match depending on the outcome. As Brown finished and turned in her score, she said both family members in attendance started to tear up, which amplified the impact of her accomplishment.
“It’s a great feeling,” Brown said. “I had come into the day not playing well this week, so to come out there and play the way I did, it’s great.
“It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
More: 'Our team is back': Yorktown, New Castle football encouraged after another memorable matchup
History doesn’t end there for Delta as it was their fourth consecutive sectional title and fifth all-time, all coming within the past six years.
“The culture of the program and being able to buy-in has played a huge part,” head coach Jim Fowler said.
Fowler credited numerous other factors, like having facilities such as Albany Golf Course and a chipping green, in helping the program improve and develop over the past few years.
“Belle now has confidence [in her shot], as well as the other girls becoming more comfortable over the past few weeks,” Fowler said.
Following Brown’s 66, Delta’s No. 2 and No. 3, Avery Stinson and Hollis Klinger, shot 88 and 89, respectively, for the Eagles.
Advancing local teams and individuals will compete in the Lapel regional at Edgewood Golf Club at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23.
“Most definitely,” Fowler said about the team's chances of making another postseason run to the state finals.
Team results
Champion: Delta (349)
2nd place: Wapahani (370)
3rd place: Yorktown (375)
4th place: Daleville (381)
5th place: Winchester (391)
6th place: Wes-Del (393)
7th place: Monroe Central (410)
8th place: Blue River (460)
Top individual scores
Medalist: Belle Brown, Delta (66)
2nd place: Kayleigh Agugliaro, Yorktown (72)
3rd place: Jane Armington, Wes-Del (72)
4th place: Addy Gick, Dalevile (75)
5th place: Mackenzie Brannon, Wapahani (84)
Advancing without a team
- Jane Armington, Wes-Del (72)
- Addy Gick. Dalevile (75)
- Ava Capes, Dalevile (86)
Radlee-Michael Besser is a freelance sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter @_RadleeMichael.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Delta girls golf wins 4th straight sectional; Brown medalist with historic performance
Most Popular
Comments / 0