BLOOMFIELD HILLS — In a stretch of only 72 hours, the Bloomfield Hills Marian girls golf team made history — and is threatening to make more.

On Monday, Sept. 28, Marian repeated as Catholic League Division 1 champs. 

Two mornings later, they won their first Oakland County Division 1 championship.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, the team starts its quest for a second straight state championship in a regional test on the Calderone Farms course at Grass Lake near Jackson. The top two teams will advance to the state finals Oct. 17 on Michigan State University’s Forest Akers East layout.

“That’s our goal. That’s all we talk about,” says Shannon Kennedy, ranked up there among the state’s premier prep golfers. 

She won medalist honors with a 68 at the Detroit Golf Club for the CHSL title. 

Kennedy was the medalist again, posting a 72, five strokes better than any other golfer, for the county championship on the Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills.

Against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, the Michigan High School Athletic Association has adjusted its format for this fall’s tournament, opting for one single 18-hole round instead of the traditional two 18-hole rounds on back-to-back days.

Getting off to a fast start will be paramount.

A year ago, Marian led the first day by 11 strokes, but lost eight in the second round to win the Division 3 title by three strokes.

Marian has four players from the 2019 team on this year’s roster. In addition to Kennedy, they are Sarah Kuredjian, Lauren Sass and Laura Emerson. 

Kennedy will be seeking to make some personal history, her third individual championship. As a freshman, she trailed the first round by two strokes, but rebounded with a 70 in the second round to win by four strokes. Last year, she led both rounds for a three-stroke win. In her sophomore year, she finished third, two strokes back.

Kennedy says “about 20” colleges have indicated interest in her golf talent. “But I’ve committed to Michigan State. I love the coaches, the team, and the campus. It feels right.”

In the county match, junior Ashley Carroll shot an 80 to earn herself a top-10 finish. Lauren Sass scored an 85 and Sarah Kuredjian 90. Marian’s 327 total strokes were seven better than runner-up South Lyon.

Two other CHSL teams competed. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (360) came in fifth and Farmington Hills Mercy (379) eighth. 

In the CHSL finals, Marian, ranked No. 1 in Division 3 by the Michigan Golf Coaches Association, slipped past No. 2-rated Macomb Lutheran North, 304 to 319. Supporting Kennedy’s 68, Carroll shot a 74 while Sass had a 78 and Kuredjian an 84. Colleen Hand finished with an 89 and Emerson 91.

Freshman Lauren Timpf posted a 71 to lead Lutheran North. 

Rounding out the Division 1/Bishop Trophy team standings: Cranbrook Kingswood 343, Mercy 351, and Warren Regina 367.

Dearborn Divine Child won the Division 2/Cardinal Trophy for the third year in a row with a total of 330 strokes. Julia Lizak shot a 77, Zeinab Saad 85, Leila Saad 88, and Madina Saad 91.

Royal Oak Shrine was runner up at 360, Wixom St. Catherine of Siena 391, Ann Arbor Greenhills 422, Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard 443, and Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart 458. 

Upcoming CHSL championships

• Field hockey: St. Catherine of Siena and Academy of the Sacred Heart will play for the Division 2/Cardinal Trophy Field Hockey Championship at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. At 1 p.m., Grosse Pointe University Liggett will play either Marian or Mercy for the Division 1/Bishop Trophy. Both games will be played at Marian High School. 
• Boys soccer: At 5 and 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Madison Heights Bishop Foley. 
• Boys and girls cross country: Saturday, Oct. 24, at Kensington Metro Park. 
• Volleyball: Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Bishop Foley.
• Football: The annual Prep Bowl football championships are under consideration, possibly for Oct. 24, at a site to be determined. Last year, the games were played at Eastern Michigan University.

State tennis tournament

Team district one-day tournaments will be played during Oct. 7-10 at 16 sites per division. The district champions will advance to the team finals in Divisions 1-4 to be played over two days during Oct. 15-17. 

The following week, during a one-day tournament to be scheduled during Oct. 22-24, 32 No. 1 singles players will compete in four divisions (eight finalists per division). 

Ann Arbor Greenhills and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood finished 1-2 in Division 3 last year.

Contact Don Horkey at [email protected]