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Mavrogenes marvelous at regional tournament
Rosanna Lederhausen, of Hinsdale Central, tees off the 1st hole for girls golf sectionals at Coyote Run golf course, Monday, October 8th, 2012 in Flossmoor, IL. | Gary Middendorf~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: November 12, 2012 10:56AM
FLOSSMOOR — Lizzy Mavrogenes thought she did the math wrong.
After finishing her first nine holes, she added her scores. The result seemed too low and too early in the game; and the idea of being a top-medalist seemed farfetched.
“I kept thinking I missed a hole because there was no possible way I could have shot 38, not because I thought I played badly, but because I wasn’t expecting it at all,” the Fenwick senior golfer said. “I didn’t think I was in the running. I did think it would be cool if I placed in the top-five individual medals.”
Even cooler for Mavrogenes is waking up every morning to a medalist award that says “Regional Champion,” hanging in her bulletin board by her desk.
At the St. Ignatius Regional Oct. 3, Mavrogenes had her best performance all year, and possibly throughout her four-year stint at Fenwick. She medaled for the first time at regionals and upgraded from her usual top-finishes in the East Suburban Catholic.
“I got a really good pep talk from my coaches and also from one of my teachers whom I really look up to at Fenwick,” said Mavrogenes, who shot 5-over on the par-71 course at Cog Hill. “My coach and my dad told me, ‘You play your best when you just play golf, and you don’t think about who’s watching you or what event you’re in. You just play golf.’ And I really think that I just did that.”
Fenwick coach Joe Konrad said Mavrogenes’ 76 was the lowest she shot all season and was something they’ve been working on for quite some time.
“She’s been up and down (all season),” Konrad said. “She birdied the first hole right off the bat, and from then on, it was going to be her day. I told her so, and she smiled.”
Usually, the team has two captains, but Konrad decided to make Mavrogenes the lone captain this season.
She’s been on the team all four years and played in a few IJGA summer tournaments. But her focus on improvement has been from working with golf pro Frank Bruno at Oak Park Country Club.
“I tell you what, Lizzy has unbelievable natural ability,” said Bruno, who’s worked with Mavrogenes for four years. “Her dedication and practice regime really paid off as she really dedicated a lot of time practicing over the last year.”
“She’s always been a great ball striker,” Bruno added. “She’s always hit the ball farther than a lot of the other girls, especially in tournament competition, but what we really focused on was her short game.”
As a recruiter at Millikin University, Bruno hopes Mavrogenes will join the program’s golf team for next season. But he might have to make a better pitch to her, as Mavrogenes has a strong eye on Illinois Wesleyan, which is No. 11 in the NCAA D-III coaches ranking.
The Friars posted a second-place finish, eight strokes ahead of top-rival St. Ignatius at regionals. Oak Park-River Forest won the regional for the first time in team history. Freshman Amanda Youman carded an 85, Lauren Hanson had an 90, Emma Youman finished with a 95 and Mason Rose posted a 97 for a team score of 367.
Fenwick’s and OPRF’s seasons came to an end Monday at the Class AA sectional at Coyote Run Golf Course, where Hinsdale Central, Lincoln-Way East and Lyons advanced to the state meet.
Hinsdale Central blew away the field with a 316, while Lincoln-Way posted a 342 and Lyons a 344.
Scorers for the Red Devils were Rosanna Lederhausen (75), Colleen Ahern (76), Cailee Beisswanger (81), Jacqueline Bruns (84), Madelynn Swank (84) and Zoe Wong (88).
The Class AA state tournament is Friday and Saturday at Hickory Point Golf Club in Decatur.
