Ponte Vedra Lady Sharks take home district, regional golf titles

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The Ponte Vedra High Lady Sharks golf team has been chewing up the competition as of late, recently taking home both the district and regional championship titles.

Having lost at last year’s regional championship to Nease, Ponte Vedra Coach Clint Finlay said his team’s recent District 6-2A win, finishing 15 strokes ahead of their rival with a score of 324, was especially satisfying.

“Anytime you get a victory in postseason it’s a good thing, but to come out and play so well as a team at Districts was special,” Finlay said. “We didn’t have the strongest regular season, but our focus has always been October, so playing the way we did at the District event and knowing we can still go lower means a lot.” 

The team’s victory was helped by Reni Jancsik, who shot a 1-over 73 to claim individual medalist honors. 

“Reni has been our clear No. 1 all year,” Finlay said. “Her biggest improvement has been her length. She always hit the ball very straight, but she’s added some distance to each of her clubs, which makes every course play a bit easier. It was going to be tough for anyone to replace Sophie Membrino, as she was our top player for two straight years, but thus far Reni has done an outstanding job of giving us that low score you must have at the top.”

At Monday’s regional championship at Blue Sky Golf Club, the Lady Sharks also dominated, finishing with a combined score of 305 and walking away with a 10-shot victory over runners-up Fernandina Beach. 

Finlay, following the win, noted that his team still has room for improvement in putting, but added that he was nonetheless pleased with their accomplishments.

“Overall, I couldn’t be more proud of my girls,” he said. “It was truly a team effort with great scores, top to bottom. They deserved the win today and are ready for the challenge of the state tournament next week.”