Lake City, Byron's Dockter lead after first round of Section 1-2A girls golf meet

May 28—ROCHESTER — The defending champs are back on top, but two strong competitors are lurking close behind.

Thursday's final round of the Section 1, Class 2A girls golf meet could be an intriguing one, as Lake City attempts to hold off Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa and Byron to earn a spot in next month's Class 2A state meet.

The leaderboard is littered with golfers from those three programs — seven of the top 10 — at the midway point of the section meet.

Lake City leads the way, shooting a first-round team total of 343 Tuesday at Northern Hills Golf Course. That score includes four players in the 80s. The Tigers are seeking their 10th trip to a state tournament; they won state titles in 2021 and 2022.

PIZM is just 11 shots back at 354, and Byron is just two more strokes back, at 356. Even fourth-place Red Wing, which shot a 370 on Tuesday, isn't completely out of the mix, though things would have to fall almost perfectly for the Wingers on Thursday.

—Lake City was led by three-time defending section medalist Jordana Windhorst Knudsen. The senior shot an 82 Tuesday and is in third place individually. Senior Ella Matzke (86), junior Mattie Mears (87) and sophomore Alayna Atkinson (88) also broke 90 for the Tigers.

—While defending champion Lake City leads the team race, a different (but familiar) name sits atop the individual leaderboard — Byron senior Calie Dockter, who shot a 4-over-par 76 on Tuesday, the only player to shoot in the 70s. She was sharp throughout, with four birdies and seven pars, including birdies on two of her final four holes.

—Dockter not only has a lead, but a fairly commanding one. St. Charles senior Lily Sullivan sits four shots back, after a first-round 80, while Windhorst Knudsen is six shots back, at 82. Winona's Marin Keller and PIZM's Neva Anderson round out the top five, both at 83.

—PIZM had two players in the 80s — Anderson (83) and Olivia Cordes (86) — to stay within striking distance of a team title. Byron used scores from Dockter (76), Kyla Gordon (91), Natalie Appel (94) and Rylee Finney (95) to hang close in the team race.

—Dockter was the only player to shoot in the 30s on either the front or back nine. She made two birdies, two bogeys and five pars on the front nine to finish it in even-par 36.

—Lourdes seventh-grader Allison Deutsch is one shot out of the top 15 after her first round in a section meet. Duetsch shot a 92 on Tuesday, a round that included six pars and a birdie on the par-3 14th hole.

—The Class 2A state meet is set for June 11-12 at The Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.

SECTION 1, CLASS 2A GIRLS GOLF

First Round

(At Northern Hills Golf Course, Tuesday)

TEAM TOTALS

1. Lake City 343, 2. Byron 354, 3. Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa 356, 4. Red Wing 370, 5. Caledonia 382, 6. Lourdes 401, 7. Winona 405, 8. Chatfield 422, 9. St. Charles 426, 10. Stewartville 427, 11. Kasson-Mantorville 447, 12. Cannon Falls 451, 13. Plainview-Elgin-Millville 483, 14. Winona Cotter 499.

Inc.: Kenyon-Wanamingo/Goodhue, Triton, Lewiston-Althea, La Crescent-Hokah.

INDIVIDUALS

(Top 15 and Rochester golfers)

1. Calie Dockter (Byr) 76, 2. Lily Sullivan (StC) 80, 3. Jordana Windhorst Knudsen (LC) 82, 4t. Marin Keller (Win) 83, 4t. Neva Anderson (PIZM) 83, 6. Lydia Flotterud (KWG) 85, 7. Olivia Cordes (PIZM) 86, 8. Ella Matzke (LC) 86, 9. Mattie Mears (LC) 87, 10t. Alayna Atkinson (LC) 88, 10t. Hallie Johnson (RW) 88, 12. Jazzlyn Hauser (Cal) 89, 13t. Kali Thompson (Win) 90, 13t. Rachel LaVan (CF) 90, 15. Kyla Gordon (Byr) 91.

16. Allison Deutsch (Lourdes) 92, 30. Kendell Powell (Lourdes) 97, 40. Paige Moeschler (Lourdes) 104, 49. Stella Collura (Lourdes) 108, 54. Erin Karau (Lourdes) 113, 58. Charlotte Perry (Lourdes) 114.