Even with talent and skill on their side, Liverpool girls golfers Nataly and Mia Avotins both would face a challenge beyond the Kanon Valley Country Club layout in Tuesday’s Section III tournament – the elements.
Rain fell from the first tee shot to the final putt, but 81 golfers managed to get in all 18 holes – and the Avotins sisters both finished in the top 10 for the second year in a row and helped the Warriors edge Cicero-North Syracuse for second place in the Division I team standings, too.
Nataly Avotins would shoot a 79, putting her in a tie for third place with Fayetteville-Manlius senior Maggie Bonomo, just one shot behind the runner-up, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill’s Olivia Evans (78).
Meanwhile, Mia Avotins battled a bit more for her numbers, but put together an 89 that tied her with Camden’s Danielle Caringi for eighth place, just above the state tournament cut line.
In the Division I team race, Liverpool finished at 401, just ahead of C-NS’s Blue squad, who was third with 404. Each trailed Fayetteville-Manlius, who followed an undefeated regular season by easily winning the sectional team crown with a 340.
Abby Ainsworth paced the Northstars, shooting a 96 to finish alone in 16th place. Lexi Miller tied for 22nd with a 99, while Amy Krohl had a 103 to finish 29th and Morgan Siechen had a 106 to get to 36th place.
In order to hang on to second place, Liverpool needed someone other than the Avotins sisters to put up strong totals. Hanna Dombrowski shot a 110, with Aliah Debejian adding a 123.
Auburn’s Lindsay May, a three-time state champion, won another sectional title with a superb round of 70 and will lead the Section III squad into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament at Bethpage State Park on Long Island.
The Avotins sisters will bring their experiences from the 2017 state tournament to this team, joined by Evans, Caringi and F-M’s quartet of Bonomo, Bailey Wallace, Paige Freyer and Grace Perry.
