Ament earns second 2A runner-up finish; Nelson third in 1A

ANKENY - The first time produced a smile. The second came with a sting.

Dyersville Beckman's Ellie Ament shared a different perspective on settling for a state runner-up performance, missing a title by one stroke for the second straight year.

"Last year I was happy with it," Ament said. "This year, it hurts a lot."

Ament carded a 161 to finish second in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Class 2A state golf meet at Otter Creek Golf Course. East Marshall's Chantel Eicher shot 83-77-160 to edge Ament for the crown.

The goal was to take that one last step to the top. Missing by one stroke, knowing there were plenty of opportunities to shave one or two shots off her score in the 36-hole event, made it tougher to swallow.

"It (stinks) right now," Ament said. "I just gives me motivation for next year."

Ament sat in second after the opening day, carding an 80 thanks to two birdies. She posted an 81 in Wednesday's second-round. She parred eight of 10 holes from No. 9 to 18. Although her scores were consistent as anyone in the tournament, Ament said her game struggled in that aspect, especially her putting.

"I was up and down for basically everything," Ament said. "My iron play was the best. It's just the greens were giving me problems."

Beckman's Stephanie Coghlan finished seventh with 172. Coghlan and Ament powered the Blazers to fourth in the team race with 742, one shot back of Clarinda for third. Pleasantville won the championship with 730 and Wapello was runner-up at 738.

"It was amazing that we made it here," Ament said. "We've worked so hard as a team."

The Blazers junior earned her third straight top-four finish, placing fourth as a freshman. She wasn't interested in morale victories or consolaed by the fact that many other golfers would trade spots with her. Before she could even collect her plaque for this year's achievement, she was focusing on next season and her long-time goal of winning a state title.

"Next year I plan on working 10 times harder. I'm definitely going to do everything I can to accomplish my goal," Ament said. "It will be a good learning experience in like a week or two. I'll take the positives from that. I'll look at what I need to improve on and that's what I'll work on to help me next year."

Central City's Christy Nelson said she also has her sights fixed on her senior season next year. The Wildcats junior made another jump in the ranks, claiming her second straight top-10. Nelson, seventh a year ago, placed third in the 1A meet also at Otter Creek.

"I've done better this year than last year," Nelson said. "Improvement is always good."

Nelson held a two-shot lead after firing a first-round score of 77. She followed it with an 80 in the second round for a 157 total, but Ankeny Christian Academy's Victoria Grasso shot 79-74-153 to claim medalist honors. Sheridan Berte of Algona Garrigan, which ran away with the team title by 62 strokes, carded a 1-under-par 70 to clip Nelson for runner-up honors by one stroke.

Garrigan scored 666 and Hinton was second with 728. HLV placed fourth with 756 led by

After claiming the lead after Day 1, Nelson reset her goals and was mildly disappointed with having to settle for her original expectations.

"My goal was to make top three and after (Tuesday) my other goal was to make the top two," Nelson said. "I made my first goal so that's good."

She managed trouble areas of the course well, getting herself out of bunkers, which is an unfamiliar task for her. It prevented more strokes to her card.

"I was getting out of those pretty well for not having much experience in bunkers," Nelson said. "That was one of my strongest points (Wednesday)."

The last two days have Nelson anxious for another crack at the state's top golfers. Her eyes were open to her potential.

"I'm pumped," Nelson said, "because I know that I can do this well and that I can do better."

Central City Coach Jon Byers has known Nelson since her birth. he said he's extremely happy with seeing her progress from a state qualifier to consecutive top-10 finishes.

"This is a first for the program," Byers said. "To see her grow up and play golf and play as well as she has, it just makes me proud."

Just like Nelson, Courtney Dewell of North Cedar found herself atop the 2A leaderboard after round one. Dewell drained three birdies while scoring an 80 on Tuesday. She added an 85 on Day 2 for 165 and placed fifth in the senior's only state meet trip.

Golf ended up being her favorite sport in her final year of high school.

"I pushed throughout the whole season," said Dewell, who entered the tournament hoping to place in the top 15. "I just wanted to have fun with it."

It helped that she had fun at the start of the tournament. Dewell said she doesn't like pressure and she credited her playing partners on Day 1 for creating an eased atmosphere.

"I'm pretty laid back and like to have fun when I'm playing," Dewell said. "That really helped me yesterday."

She admitted nerves as leader caused a slow start to the second round, saying it "wasn't a pretty 85" but one she could accept. Strong putting helped her late in the first round and throughout the second. She worked a lot on her short game and it paid dividends.

"It's funny," Dewell said. "They always say your short game saves you and it turned out to be true."

Dewell matched a top-five finish of her mother, Karla Dewell, who said she placed fifth in 1982 for Clarence-Lowden. Dewell is believed to be the first top-five finisher for the consolidated school, but she was more concerned of upholding the success of this year's senior class, which experienced state success in football, basketball and track.

"For me to be able to keep it going, that means more to me," Dewell said. "It really means a lot to keep our senior year really special."