Wesley Chapel's Hana Young claims final qualifying spot.
By GREG AUMAN
Published November 4, 2003
ODESSA - It took three years, but Wesley Chapel's Hana Young is going back to the state championships.
"Finally," said the Wesley Chapel junior, who shot 1-over 72 at Silver Dollar Golf Club to claim the second and final qualifying spot in her region. "It's over. Thank God. I've been waiting for this for a long time."
While Young was on the friendly side of the bubble, two other county hopefuls were not on a day when only the top two teams and individuals advanced. River Ridge's Heather Hagerman shot 74, third in a field of 48, and Mitchell's team score of 350 put the Mustangs third behind Seminole (319) and Plant (339).
Hagerman, who beat Young for the Sunshine Athletic Conference crown two weeks ago, has the small consolation of being the best golfer in the region who isn't going to state. And if the River Ridge senior missed the cut by a nose, Mitchell did so by a nosebleed.
With four golfers in for each team, Mitchell and Plant each had scores of 350, which would set up a sudden-death playoff with both meeting on the first hole for a five-on-five tiebreaker.
Then the Mustangs learned that Plant's No. 4 player, Kimberly Andreu, had been held up on the course when a Palm Harbor player couldn't get a nosebleed to stop. Several groups had played through, and when Andreu finally came in, her 94 allowed Plant to not count its low round of 105, and Mitchell lost its chance at a playoff.
Senior Amanda Moore led the Mustangs with 82, followed by sophomore Ashley Aguilera (85), senior Katie Taylor (89) and junior Victoria Cooper (94). Coach Ray Cisbani thought it would take at least 350 to advance, but his team's score - 19 strokes better than at district last week - wasn't enough.
Young will play Tuesday in the state championships in Port St. Lucie. It is her first state appearance since she was an eighth-grader at Saddlebrook.
