ARLINGTON Despite rainy weather and a depleted team the Arlington girls golf team boasts just three players the Arlington golf team marched through the back of Gleneagle Golf Course, hosting their season-opening meet March 17.
Though Arlington High School boasts an enrollment in the neighborhood of 1,600 students and a public golf course within walking distance, only three girls came out for the golf team this year.
Ashley Heise, who golfs number one for Arlington, finished the meet with a Stableford score of 9 over Gleneagles back nine. Under the scoring system used in girls golf, more points are awarded for a better performance against par. Heise, whose brother Chad golfs number one for the Arlington boys team, was the only player to record an official score for the Eagles in the meet, though she was joined on the links by teammates Mackensie Bennett and Aarika Montanez.
Bennett and Montanez are both rookies this season, but Arlington coach Tony Unruh said they had the potential to blossom as golfers thanks to their athleticism. Unruh added that he was a little puzzled by the sports low turnout, but said he would still accept players who are interested in coming out for the team this year. Unlike many other high school sports, girls golf does not have a 10-practice requirement for competition, which means a player who joined the team could begin competing immediately.
Arlington hosted Oak Harbor, Marysville-Pilchuck, Lake Stevens and Stanwood, with the four opponents finishing in that order. The meet medalist, or highest-scoring golfer, was Oak Harbors Brittany Loveng, who scored 29 points over the nine holes.