A team that has enjoyed a solid resume of excellence in recent seasons, the Northfield High School girls golf team looks to continue that run of success in 2024.
The Raiders will return six of their top seven players from a 2023 squad that won the Big 9 Conference championship and placed second at the 2023 Section 1AAA tournament.
“Conference-wise we should be the best team in the Big 9,” Northfield coach Mel Miller said. “We have six of the top seven back and we only lost Marie Labenski from last year. “
The Raiders’ fortunes even look more promising as top contenders Albert Lea lost their two top players from last year and Owatonna also lost a couple of their top six players from 2023. At the Section 1AAA level, defending champion Lakeville South will also be looking to replace several top players from its 2023 roster.
“We are definitely looking to return that title as Big 9 champions and hopefully be able to win the sections this year,” said senior Emerson Garlie, who is headed to Minnesota State University in 2024-25 to play college golf for the Mavericks.
A key reason for the Raiders’ optimism this season is Garlie, who earned All-Big 9 accolades in 2023 and was the conference’s top golfer with a 79.7 average in league matches. She was the runner-up at the Big 9 championship last year and claimed medalist honors at the Section 1AAA meet with a score of 155 (76-79) on the course at Cannon Golf Club in Cannon Falls, Minn.
The Raiders were the runners-up at the Section meet behind Lakeville South, while Garlie advanced to the state meet as an individual.
“Our number one player is Emerson Garlie, a three time All-Conference player who was an All-State performer last year and finished seventh at the state tournament, which put her on the podium,” Miller said.
“Emerson is very consistent. She hits every club well and putts well…and she puts the work in. I don’t know of anyone who practices as much as her along with the Johnson girls. All three practice a lot.”
Sophomore twin sisters, Annika and Karina Johnson will also be top players to watch for the Raiders this spring. Karina is a three-year varsity player and a two-time All-Conference award winner.
“Karina played really well last year and had her best round at Albert Lea (78) and we needed her that day because we only beat Albert Lea by two, which helped us win the conference last year,” Miller said.
Annika Johnson is another three-year varsity player and a two-time All-Big 9 award recipient.
“Annika is going to be one of our go to players this season,” Miller noted.
Junior Danica Sorem will serve as a team co-captain this season along with Garlie and will be another top contributor for the Raiders. Soren is a two-year varsity letter winner.
“She is going to provide a lot of stability for us because her game keeps getting better,” Miller said of Sorem.
Anna Jordan is another junior to watch on the NHS roster. Miller said she has much potential and turned in a key fifth score in the Raiders’ first place finish at the New Prague Invitational last year that was the tiebreaker against Orono. Of note, her older sister Evelyn Jordan served as a team captain during her high school golf career.
Miller also looks to receive added depth on his roster from senior Alivia Kortuem, who played in several varsity matches in 2023.
The depth and experience on the 2024 roster will be a strong asset for the Raiders and should make them a strong contender for a run at a fifth Big 9 title and continued success at the Section and State meets.
“We are returning most of our team, so we know how we have to play and how to make up scores and fill in for people if they are having a bad day,” Emerson said.
Sorem added, “Our team has a special bond…there are really no cliques on the team.”
To prep for the season, many of the Raiders participated in junior tournaments last summer and stayed on task during the colder months with practice on local indoor golf simulators.
The season will open, weather permitting, on April 9 with a match at Rochester Century before NHS returns to the Northfield Golf Club for its home opener on April 15 against Albert Lea.
Along with the always rugged Big 9 Conference schedule, Northfield will travel to key tournaments at Lakeville North, New Prague and Lake City along with the two-day Tri-State meet at Bunker Hills Golf Course on May 17-18, which is also the site of the 2024 MSHSL state tournament on June 11-12.
Northfield will host the Big 9 Conference meet at the Northfield G.C. on May 20 before taking part in the Section 1AAA meet at the Cannon Golf Club on May 28 and 30.
As mentioned before, Albert Lea and Owatonna will be teams to beat in the Big 9 race this season along with an improving Austin squad. At the section level, Lakeville South will be a target that the Raiders will be aiming for in 2024, according to Garlie.
“Lakeville South for sure in our section and I would also like to give something out to Owatonna. They beat us in one of the conference matches last year, so they are up and rising but hopefully we can beat them,” Garlie said.
Miller added, “Brian Stevens (former NHS golf coach) said that we have had 14 years in a row with someone making it to the state tournament. I want to continue that…and I don’t think that will be a problem this year with the type of team we have.”
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