Girls Golfer of the Year: Katherine Lemke persevered to be St. Francis' steady hand

St. Francis girls golf coach Gay Crain always saw Katherine Lemke showing up ready to play.

In a season that forced all Illinois high school golfers to make adjustments, Lemke, a St. Francis senior, persevered to be the steady hand for the Spartans.

“She quietly carries a big load with the team,” Crain said. “With her leadership with the other kids, it’s more of telling the other girls ‘Play your best; do your best’. I think that gives them confidence, [and] they can lean on her quite a bit.”

It’s not to say she didn’t have off days with her driver occasionally, but Lemke was able to switch gears on the fly.

“That’s growth for her,” Crain said. “In the past when she was younger, she’d probably fight it and keep trying. This year, she just finds another way. She’ll change clubs and say ‘Alright, I’m going to lean on my short game then today.’ And still score.”

“She didn’t have to say much. She just went out and did it,” Crain said.

Lemke’s results speak for themselves. She earned medalist honors in each of the Spartans' 10 dual meets. Lemke finished third and had a pair of second-place finishes at invitationals. To finish her regular season, Lemke finished first individually at the Metro Suburban Conference meet and again at the Class 2A regionals.

To cap off a stellar prep career, Lemke tied for 10th individually at sectionals, hitting a hole-in-one in the process. For her accomplishments, Lemke is the Kane County Chronicle Girls Golfer of the Year for the second season in a row.

“It was definitely [about] finding new goals and new ways to be competitive with yourself,” said Lemke, a Geneva resident, reflecting on her year. “Because we didn’t have the same [traditional] opportunities for competition, like in the postseason. And, even in the regular season because so many invitationals were taken off the schedule.”

Lemke qualified for the state tournament in her first three years of high school competition. As a sophomore, Lemke and the Spartans went down to state as a team.

Yet, for all of her accomplishments on the golf course, having the opportunity to take a team bus ride to the conference meet remains a top memory.

“I just had forgotten how much I miss bus rides to and from matches,” Lemke said. “...we got to spend 90 minutes just talking and see each other outside of schools and golf competitions.

Lemke is planning on competing in golf collegiately, but is still undecided. She is weighing interest from schools like Creighton and Butler. Academics remain a high priority.

“I definitely think its the team aspect [I’ll always cherish] that I found in St. Francis golf that I didn’t expect to find when I first signed up freshman year.

Kane County Chronicle Girls Golf All-Area

Reese Clark, Geneva, junior: Named the DuKane Conference Player of the Year, Clark turned in an outstanding postseason. She was second in the conference tournament, fourth at regionals, and fourth at sectionals.

Allison Edgar, St. Charles East, junior: Edgar was the lone Saints player to advance to sectionals from regionals with a 83.

Emily Koh, Burlington Central, senior: Koh finished third overall in the Fox Valley Conference meet and tied for fourth at sectionals.

Katherine Lemke, St. Francis, senior: Lemke earned medalist honors in all of the Spartans' 10 dual meets. Lemke also finished first individually at the Metro Suburban Conference meet and again at the Class 2A regionals.

Katherine Marshall, Kaneland, sophomore: Marshall was medalist in all but three matches on the season. She earned 14th place overall at sectionals, firing a score of 81.

Catie Nekola, St. Charles North, junior: Nekola had a nine-hole average of 38.0, she scored in every match the North Stars played, won the gold medal at conference and finished second in regionals.

Kelsey O'Connor, Burlington Central, senior: O'Connor had a 40.1 scoring average per nine holes. O'Connor finished fourth individually in the Fox Valley Conference.

Isabella Spinazze, St. Charles North, senior: Spinazze was among the entire North Stars team that advanced to sectionals with her 83 score.