Here again were Liverpool girls golf team stars Natalya and Mia Avotins, playing in the most important tournament of the spring.
Both Avotins sisters were part of last weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships at Bethpage State Park’s Yellow Course on Long Island.
With a year’s worth of tournament experience from 2017 to draw from, Natalya Avotins found her way into the top 20 during Saturday’s opening round, unable to make a birdie but not making worse than bogey during an eight-over-par 80.
That put Natalya in a tie for 14th place, though far from the battle at the top as Kaitlyn Lee and Melanie Green both shot 68 to lead Auburn’s three-time state champion, Lindsay May, by five strokes.
Mia Avotins, for her part, began with a double bogey on her first hole, the 10th, and went from there to an 86, in a tie for 30th place, but still in the top half of the field.
In Sunday’s final round, Natalya Avotins improved to a 78, with two birdies on her card on the 4th and 11th holes. That put her in a tie for 13th place overall with a two-day score of 156 as Mia Avotins had a 90 to finish at 176, alone in 38th place.
Medina’s Melody Green (Section VI), with rounds of 68 and 70, won the state tournament by two strokes over Bailey Shoemaker. May settled for sixth place as Section III’s team finished third behind Section I and Section VI.
In between May and the Avotins sisters, Fayetteville-Manlius teammates Bailey Wallace (168) and Maggie Bonomo (173) were tied for 22nd and 35th, respectively, followed by F-M’s Grace Perry (178), Vernon-Verona-Sherrill’s Olivia Evans (179), Marcellus’ Mary Colella (182), F-M’s Paige Freyer (191) and Camden’s Danielle Caringi (193).
