This time around, Cicero-North Syracuse’s Nessa McKie did not need a playoff to earn her place in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association girls golf tournament.
Neither did Liverpool’s Natalya Avotins, who will make her first state tournament appearance after she joined McKie in the top nine of the individual standings during Tuesday’s Section III championships at Kanon Valley in Oneida.
As expected, two-time state champion Lindsay May topped the field, the Auburn star recording a 77 to beat Madison Kingsley (Fayetteville-Manlius) by seven shots for that victory. Jamesville-DeWitt’s Lena Jones was third with an 88.
The battle that unfolded behind May was a lot closer, starting with Natalya Avotins. With a strong front-nine 42, Avotins gave herself room to struggle more on the back nine (48) and still post a 90 to tie F-M’s Maggie Bonomo for fourth place.
Meanwhile, two other golfers, Bella Facciolo (Utica Proctor) and Olivia Evans (Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) shot 91 and shared sixth place. That left two spots open, and McKie took one of them.
Shooting a 45 on the front nine and 47 on the back nine, McKie, with a 92, matched the total of Westhill’s Shannon Bunce, and no one else matched it, meaning a playoff for the main state tournament team was not needed, unlike 2015, when McKie had to get through a playoff to advance.
However, Liverpool’s Mya Avotins, by finishing in a tie for 10th place with a 94 (47 on both nines), did take part in a playoff for the alternate berths, which ultimately went to a third F-M golfer, Justine Burress, along with Rome Free Academy’s Kaitlyn Mastracco.
As a team, C-NS posed 442, sixth in Division I as F-M (365) rolled to the top spot. Morgan Siechen shot a 103, while Abby Ainsworth had a 121, five shots ahead of Mackenzie Cole. Liverpool’s Leah Egan shot a 115.
