Jay comes up short

Jay County High School girls golf was agonizingly close to a victory to open their Allen County Athletic Conference slate on Monday, but suffered a 235-241 defeat at the hands of Heritage on the back nine of Portland Golf Club.

The uneven performance put the brakes on an otherwise promising start to the season for the youthful Jay County squad.

“Today it almost resembled day one of summer, unfortunately,” said Jay County coach Carissa Allred. “We did not look like the team that showed up last week at the invitationals.”

Jay County faced adversity from the start, as the match took place on the back nine instead of the front nine of its home course because of a scheduling conflict. Jay County typically trains for and plays the front nine, and hadn’t practiced on the back nine at all this season.

The lack of experience may have contributed to the team’s struggles, as it amassed 25 double pars and had at least one golfer reach double par on every hole.

“We need to start to get (the double pars) out if we want to be competitive,” Allred said.

Despite the choppy performance, Jay County did have a few bright spots, most notably the play of sophomore Elizabeth Brunswick, who carded a 56 to share match medalist honors with Heritage’s Aubrey Stoll.

It’s been a rapid ascent for Brunswick, a basketball player by trade who hadn’t played a round of golf in her life until Jay County’s season opener on Aug. 4.

“I’ve always been competitive no matter what we’re doing,” said Brunswick, who ran cross country last fall. “So when I set my mind on something I want to strive to be the best. I’ve been told I have athletic ability and I thought, ‘Why not try this and see what we can do?’”

That inherent athletic ability has been molded into sport-specific skill by Jay County’s coaching staff, which Brunswick credited for much of her recent success.

“They push you to be the best you can,” Brunswick said. “They tweak your swing to make it be the best. They’re very helpful and they encourage you so much.”

The admiration Brunswick has for her mentors is reciprocated by their recognition of her potential.

While the desire to play golf flared up in Brunswick’s mind when hitting golf balls in her yard before the season, the spark that ignited that desire has been smoldering for years. Ever since Allred and Brunswick crossed paths in Allred’s eighth grade history class, Allred has had visions of Brunswick on the golf course.

“She is literally just a natural athlete,” Allred said. “Her body, her strength, her mind. She’s an athlete where if she wants to be good … she’ll ask ‘what do I need to fix?’ and then not only ask it, but she comprehends and then tries to apply.”

Brunswick saved the best for last in her round with a crowning par on the 120-yard, par-3 18th hole. She struck a 9-iron out of the tee box that climbed up and stuck on the front left edge of the elevated green. After leaving a birdie putt around 4 feet short, she calmly drained her third shot to seal the par.

“You could just see the smile,” Allred said. “And so I hope that shows her that she’s very capable.”

The rest of Jay County’s lineup was slightly less successful in Monday’s defeat. Junior Erin Aker, the only player from last season’s varsity team in the lineup, shot a 59 and was one of just three golfers in the match to break 60. The freshman quartet of Crystal Swartzentruber (62), Alexa Ridenour (64), Reny Lingo (66) and Sophia Reagan (66) rounded out Jay County’s lineup, with the totals of Lingo and Reagan not counting toward the team tally.

While the deluge of double pars hampered the host Patriots, Jay County put together several solid holes. All six of Jay County’s golfers had at least one bogey or better, highlighted by Reagan matching Brunswick’s par on hole 18.

Jay County (0-1, 0-1 ACAC) will aim to bounce back on Thursday, Aug. 14, in a home tri-meet.