By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Troy Steinfest capped a solid, four-year career on the Elkhorn Area High School boys golf team by being named the Elks’ 2015 Most Valuable Player.
The Elks recently named their season award winners.
Grady Welsh earned the Elk Award, which is bestowed for dedication, leadership and attitude.
Liam Ahler and Kyle Schoeneberg are co-recipients of the Most Promising award.
Steinfest also earned Honorable Mention All-Southern Lakes Conference honors, the only Elk to do so.
Burlington’s Brian’s Danke and Justin Meseberg, Badger’s Luke Bourneuf and Jonathan Duggan and Westosha Central’s Zach Kramer earned First Team All-SLC honors.
Dankle and Meseberg are co-SLC Players of the Year.
Badger’s Jackson Rademaker and Connor Duggan, Waterford’s Matt Puetz and James Maney and Union Grove’s Eric Chambers earned All-SLC Second Team honors.
Troy Steinfest shot a good round June 2 at The Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove in a WIAA Division 1 sectional tournament, but fell short of a berth in the State Boys Golf Tournament.
Steinfest finished 22nd overall with an 18-hole score of 84 on the par 71 course. Sun Prairie hosted the sectional meet.
The top two teams and the top three individuals who do not play for one of the top two teams advance from the sectional. The WIAA State Boys Golf Tournament was contested Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge in Madison.
“It would have been a tough task to get there,” Elks coach Steve Fisher said. “I don’t think he played that badly. If you asked Troy, I think he’d feel the same.”
Badger won the sectional tournament and advanced to state with a four-man team score of 310 for 18 holes. Fort Atkinson finished second (322).
Union Grove’s Sam Maier (74), Madison East’s Peter Conowall (74) and Sun Prairie’s Nate Oehrlein advanced as individual qualifiers.
Those three, along with Badger’s Connor Duggan and Luke Bourneuf, finished atop the leader board with scores of 74.
Fisher said Steinfest suffered from penalty strokes and could not avoid hazards.
“On a couple of holes he hit into sand traps, and that added strokes as well,” Fisher said. “At sectionals, you can’t make those mistakes.”
Fisher said Steinfest drove the ball well, but was unable to take advantage of lenient pin placements by making better approach shots.
“He had a great year, and he deserved to go, with all the hard work he put in,” Fisher said. “I was definitely pleased he got to sectionals. He’s going to be missed next year, that’s for sure.”
Steinfest is the only member of the Elks to advance to the sectional tournament.
At the state tournament, Hartland Arrowhead won the Division 1 state team title and Lodi won the team title in Division 2. St. Mary’s Springs Academy of Fond du Lac won the Division 3 state team title.
