Wildcat golfers earn triangular meet crown

Paced by Tanner Lineberry and Jordan Mueller, the Columbia Falls High School boys golf team captured the team title at last Thursday's golf invitational at Meadow Lake Resort and followed up on Saturday with a third-place finish in Libby.

At Meadow Lake the Wildcats shot a team score of 349, followed by Polson at 363 and Ronan at 435. Lineberry and Mueller led the Wildcats with 86 and 87, respectively, while Mike Cotton and Parker Johnson shot 88s to round out the team score. Hayden Congdon of Polson edged Lineberry by a stroke for medallist honors.

On the girls side of the tournament, the Wildkats shot a 464 for second place behind Polson's 424. The Ronan Maidens posted a 486. Polson's Natalia Arlint shot a 94 for the win. Wildkat senior Kelsey DeWit took fourth place with a 103, followed by teammates Courtney Tamburelli (110), Olivia Williams (121), Michele Hagen (130) and Morgan Love (120).

"A 349 is a pretty good team score for our boys on Meadow Lake," coach Gene Marcille said. "Tanner was a little off for the day, but Jordan, Mike and Parker picked up the slack a little."

On Saturday at Libby, Lineberry was back on track with a 78 and a second-place finish. Libby's Zach Watson edged Lineberry by one stroke for medallist honors. CFHS finished third in the six-team field behind Polson and Whitefish, with Mueller shooting 89, Johnson 93 and Cotton 94 for the Wildcats. Senior Ian Gordon posted a 95.

For the Wildkats, Tamburelli shot a 113 to finish in sixth place while Love's 127 landed her in the top 10. Williams shot a 131. Illness kept the Wildkats short of a team score.

The Columbia Falls High School golf teams compete at the Polson Invitational Thursday (today) and host the Northwest A Divisional Golf Tournament next Thursday at Meadow Lake Resort. Interested adults can sign-up to volunteer as scorekeepers for the divisional tournament. Contact CFHS athletic director John Thompson (892-6500 Ext. 226) for more details.