Hillsdale seniors to lead girls golf and boys tennis into regional tournaments

HILLSDALE — The Hillsdale varsity girls golf team and boys tennis team are the only teams that represent its respective sport in Hillsdale County. Both teams are heading to regional tournaments for the MHSAA postseason next week with the hopes of earning state tournament qualification on an individual and team level.

More: '1-0': The motto of 2024 Reading football shapes the mindset of an adversity-tested team

Hillsdale girls golf, led by several seniors including LCAA second-team all-league honoree Kassidy Hassenzahl, heads to Heritage Glen Golf Club for the LP D4 region 22 tournament.

Heritage Glen is located in Paw Paw, MI, and the course is known for its wide-open fairways. The regionals will be played out over 18-holes. This year's D4 state finals will be held at Michigan State's Forest Akers West in East Lansing. The finals will be played on Oct. 18-19.

The Hornets have five senior golfers including Hassenzahl, Meghan Mekelburg, Lydia Kunkel, Killian Monahan and Kate Nolan. Junior Baeleigh Francis is the only non-senior on the team. Hassenzahl and Mekelburg both tied for 17th at the recent LCAA championship jamboree. Francis took 21st. Nolan finished in 24th. Kunkel took 26th. Jillian Monahan finished 28th overall.

Other teams participating in Region 22 are Athens, Cassopolis, Comstock, Concord, Hanover-Horton, Kalamazoo Christian, Hackett Catholic, Lansing Catholic, Niles Brandywine, Olivet, Parchment, Schoolcraft and St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran. Of these teams, there are two state ranked squads. Kalamazoo Christian is ranked first overall. Lansing Catholic is ranked third.

More: Multiple County athletes set career personal best times at the Stockbridge Invitational

Tennis Regionals

Hillsdale boys tennis competed in its last regular season match of the season this week. Senior Brahm Gambill won 6-0, 6-1 in his final regular season match. Juniors Landon York and Ben Champion also won their matchups. Champion won 6-1, 6-2 and York won 6-3, 6-1.

More: Hillsdale County runners conquer new personal best times at the Stockbridge invitational

The two juniors join seniors Gambill and Alex Portteus as the four singles bracket competitors for the Hornets as they head to the regional postseason tournament. Hillsdale will also have doubles teams at the regional tournament that takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 9 a.m.

The Division 4, Region 20 tournament for 2024 will be held at Grosse Ile high school. Also competed will be Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Brooklyn Columbia Central, Clawson, Grosse Ile, Jackson Lumen Christi, Monroe St. Mary's, Pinckney, Plymouth Christian Academy and West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy.

Grosse Ile, Jackson Lumen Christi and Grabriel Richard all are state ranked Division 4 teams.

The Hillsdale girls golf team is coached by Nick Tucker. The Hillsdale boys tennis team is coached by Matthew Duff.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale seniors to lead girls golf and boys tennis into regional tournaments