Spoofhounds take second at MEC Championships
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville sophomore Cailyn Auffert putts on Monday at St. Joseph Country Club. Auffert was the MEC runner-up.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Last season for Cailyn Auffert, Lauren Jaster and most of the Spoofhounds, the Midland Empire Conference Tournament was a new experience and new pressure.
This season the all-sophomore Spoofhounds looked much more comfortable at Monday’s MEC Championships, and it was reflected in their scores. The Spoofhounds finished second in the conference behind Chillicothe by just two strokes. Last season, the Hounds were fifth in this tournament.
“I think our team has improved a lot since last year,” Jaster said. “We have all been playing really good and scoring really close. I think that by the time we are like seniors, we will be a really good team.”
As has been the case for a majority of the past two seasons, Auffert led Maryville. After finishing sixth as a freshman in the MEC, she moved up to second this season with a 93 on the St. Joseph Country Club course.
“Cailyn is my rock,” Ricks said. “If she has a bad shot, she goes to the next one. I’m hoping the others can learn from her and follow suit. She doesn’t always have good shots, but she is always going to the next shot.”
The sophomore kept pace with Savannah’s Mollee Olszowka through the first nine holes where they each a 42 on the back nine which separated them from the field. Auffert fell off Olszowka’s pace on the front nine though and finished with 51 while the Savannah star had a 46.
While Auffert finished five strokes behind Olszowka, she was seven strokes in front of Chillicothe’s Skyler Powers, who was third with a 100. Benton’s Jaida Cox took fourth with a 101. Those top four golfers all played together.
“I wasn’t expecting to get a 93, because usually I do awful on this course because I hate it,” Auffert said. “I did really good on the back nine.”
Last season, Auffert was the only Spoofhound to medal. That wasn’t the case this year with Jaster joining her with some hardware after a seventh-place showing.
Jaster wasn’t overjoyed with her 113 on the day and was surprised when she was called as a medalist.
“I really didn’t expect it,” Jaster said. “I thought that I didn’t play very well and then when they announced the 10th-place score, I realized that I was going to place and I was really surprised. But that gives me confidence going into districts.”
Ricks reminded her young golfer that St. Joseph Country Club is a tough course and scores are always higher there.
“Lauren said that there’s a good chance you aren’t even going to use my score today,” Ricks said. “And it’s like, ‘Yes Lauren, there is a good chance you are going to medal.’ … I told them on the way down there that we are headed to St. Joe Country Club and this course plays difficult.”
Jaster had a 55 on the back nine and a 58 on the front nine to earn her all-conference spot. It was the first time she had ever played St. Joseph Country Club — having missed her other chances because of injury.
The Spoofhounds nearly had a third medalist, but Casey Phillips ended up just one stroke short with a 118 to finish tied for 11th. Brinley Conn was 13th with a 122. Alana Crawford finished with a 141.
“We got two all-conference and got second,” Ricks said with a smile. “Not bad.”
The young Spoofhounds have a busy week this week as they continue to prepare for the biggest tournament of the year in two weeks on Oct. 11 when they host the district tournament at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park. On Thursday this week, the Hounds will be at home as well to host Lafayette and Worth County.
“I think it is definitely possible that we can get more people through districts this year, because we are more experienced and we know what is going to happen this year,” Auffert said. “I’m super excited and hopefully they can all come with me (to state).”
