Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
FRANK PASTORMitchell keeps up its dominant regular-season form in the SAC tournament, winning by 45 strokes.
WESLEY CHAPEL - Mitchell started the season with five goals: Make state, place at region, win district, win conference and go undefeated.
Two down, three to go.
One week after completing a 9-0 regular season that extended its win streak to 51, the Mustangs, led by individual champion Ashley Aguilera, shot 335 Tuesday at Lexington Oaks Golf Club to win its fifth consecutive conference crown.
Aguilera shot 1-over-par 73 to finish three strokes ahead of Wesley Chapel freshman T.J. Adipietro, a late replacement for Hana Young, who was out with a wrist injury.
"She's peaked out; she's right in the stride of her game right now," Mitchell coach Ray Cisbani said of Aguilera. "A 73 on this course is, I think, an outstanding score."
Aguilera, a junior, birdied three of the first nine holes to make the turn at 2-under 34. She bogeyed Nos. 11 and 15 and double-bogeyed 14 after putting her tee shot in the water but held off the hard-charging Adipietro, who shot 36 on the back nine.
"I was very, very pleased with the way I played the front nine at 2-under; I couldn't have asked for anything better," Aguilera said. "The back nine started worrying me a little bit. I wasn't exactly pleased with that, but I played to my best ability on the back nine, and I'll take it."
Mitchell's No. 2, Carolyn Salerno, shot an uncharacteristic 94, but No. 3 Samantha Chu (83) and No. 4 Victoria Cooper (85) picked her up.
"Carolyn is doing really good," said Chu, who had two birdies. "I'm just glad to help."
Second-place Zephyrhills shot 380, 27 strokes better than Wesley Chapel, which defeated the Bulldogs twice during the regular season with Young in the lineup.
"Wesley Chapel beat us by four strokes the first time and by five strokes the second time with Hana, so without Hana that was really the difference," Zephyrhills coach Richard Green said.
The 10 points Mitchell received for placing first, plus the seven it earned for its conference wins, gave the Mustangs the team title with 17 points. Zephyrhills (13) and Wesley Chapel (13) tied for second.
The top 10 individuals will receive all-conference recognition. Five others, likely to include Young, will be determined at the coaches' meeting in November.