9-29-2015 2:24am

Kellstrom Shoots Par as Saline Wins SEC Tournament

YPSILANTI -- Senior Samantha Kellstrom finished her SEC career in style. Kellstrom shot a par 72 to win the medal and help the Hornets win the SEC Tournament at Eagle Crest Monday.

Saline finished with a score of 329 – 24 strokes better than Pioneer. The victory gave the Lady Hornets a clean sweep of the SEC Red. The team was undefeated during the season and won the SEC tournament.

Kellstrom was thrilled by the team’s win.

“It means everything. We’ve had a flawless season this year. As long as I’ve been on the team, that’s never happened,” said Kellstrom. “To end my senior year like this is really amazing.”

Saline coach Debbie Williams-Hoak was impressed by the girls’ accomplishment.

“We’ve had great teams before that have come really close, but most teams, even the best ones, have a hiccup along the way,” Williams-Hoak said. “It takes a lot of hard work to do what they did. These girls work hard in the off-season. They come to every match ready to play. That’s the only way to accomplish what they did.”

After Kellstrom’s 72, Saline sophomore Catherine Loftus was next at 84. Loftus shot a 38 on the front nine but struggled down the stretch. Still, after Kellstrom gave Saline a seven-stroke lead, Loftus helped the Hornets expand their lead. Next it was Sydney Page, who shot an 86. She was followed by fellow sophomore Riley Salowich at 87 to complete the scoring. Fellow sophomores Stephanie Schick, 90, and Molly Pribble, 96, also golfed for the Hornets.

The post-tournament awards lineups had more than Saline’s fair share of blue skirts.

Kellstrom, the match medalist, Loftus, Page, Salowich and Schick made the 10-player All-Tournament team.

Kellstrom, Loftus and Pribble made the All-SEC Red team, which was based on score that included results from the league season and SEC Tournament.

Coach Williams-Hoak was impressed with her senior captain.

“She really came through and set the stage today,” Williams-Hoak said. “The thing that’s so special about her is that even in those tournament where she wasn’t our number one, like she was all last season, you never knew it. Her attitude and support for her teammates is outstanding, and that’s one of the things that makes her so special.”

Kellstrom, an all-state golfer, couldn’t have been happier with her outing. After a summer of golfing on difficult courses, she sometimes had difficulty simplifying her game when high school season rolled around.

“It was a great way to end the season. I did struggle earlier in the season with my matches and to end it off like this is really a positive thing for me,” Kellstrom said.

Kellstrom wasn’t sure of her previous best at Eagle Crest, but she knew it was higher than 72.

“It’s a tough course. The back nine is more strategic. You have to hit it at certain places to shoot well,” Kellstrom said.

On the front nine, Kellstrom shot one-over par.

“I made some pretty good par saves so I knew I was doing fairly well. I felt pretty good about the start so that helped me on the back nine,” Kellstrom said.

She was two-over par when she teed off at 16 after bogeying on 15.

“It was my first bogey on the back nine and I wanted to reset,” Kellstrom said.

She birdied 16 with a great drive and terrific putt. On 17, she made par in three, driving the green and putting twice. She stood at the tee on 18 needing a birdie for par.

“It’s kind of a short hole so I knew if I hit the driver I could have 50 or fewer yards in for a chip and a put,” Kellstrom did.

And that’s what she did. Her drive went the length of the fairway – but a little to the left. In the short grass, she chipped about 45 yards and left herself a six-foot putt, which she drained with a smile.

The Lady Hornets now begin preparing for the Oct. 8 regional at Fox Hills Country Club.

The coach and the senior captain think this team can do something special.

“We’ve got the skill to win regionals and win states. I know we’ve got the talent. It’s going to be about whether or not we get the mental level up to match the skill level under very tough conditions,” Williams-Hoak said. “The game of golf is about a lot more than how you hit the ball.”