SPASH senior Abby Nickel (left) won WVC Individual Medalist honors for the third year in a row, as she held off Jasmine Yang of Wausau (right), after the two shared WVC co-Medalist honors last season. (John Kemmeter photo)

Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

The Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) girls golf team closed out a perfect conference season, while senior Abby Nickel held off a challenge from sophomore Jasmine Yang of Wausau in a battle that went down to the wire, as she won Wisconsin Valley Conference (WVC) Individual Medalist honors Wednesday, Sept. 25.

SPASH finished with a 167 to win WVC Leg #7 in the conference finale at the Wisconsin River Golf Course Wednesday, while Abby Nickel shot a 38 to finish ahead of Yang (40) and capture medalist honors at the meet, as she ended up with 85.5 points in the conference individual standings to win WVC Medalist honors over Yang (84).

SPASH senior Ally Nickel earned First Team All-WVC honors in girls golf this season for the third year in a row. (John Kemmeter photo)

With WVC Leg #2 canceled due to weather, SPASH carried a 5-0 conference record into the final WVC Meet of the season, and looked to close out its third consecutive WVC Title with a perfect record in conference.

Meanwhile, after Abby Nickel won WVC Medalist honors as a sophomore and shared co-WVC Medalist honors with Yang last season, Yang won two of the first three WVC Legs this season to take the early lead in the conference standings (44 points) over Abby Nickel (40.5).

Abby Nickel won the next two WVC Legs to enter the final meet of the conference season with 70.5 points in the individual standings, to hold the lead over Yang (70), twin sister Ally Nickel (62.5) and fellow SPASH senior Leah Earnest (61.5).

On Wednesday, Abby Nickel fired a 38 to win the meet over Yang (40), SPASH freshman Riley Pechinski (41), Ally Nickel (42) and Abby Wangen of Wisconsin Rapids (44), as she captured Individual Medalist honors in her third consecutive WVC Leg and for the fourth time out of six WVC Legs this season.

Earnest placed sixth Wednesday with a 46 and junior Megan Bonikowske tied for 10th with a 50, as the Panthers totaled a 167 to win the meet over Wausau (193), Wisconsin Rapids (193), D.C. Everest (225) and Marshfield (234).

SPASH senior Leah Earnest earned First Team All-WVC honors in girls golf this season for the second year in a row, after she has also been a two-time First Team All-WVC selection in girls basketball and a First Team All-WVC selection in softball. (John Kemmeter photo)

In the final conference team standings, SPASH finished with 60 points to claim the WVC Title over Wausau West/East (47), Wisconsin Rapids (35), D.C. Everest (23) and Marshfield (15), as the Panthers have won the Conference Title in each of first three seasons the WVC has had girls golf.

It was the sixth consecutive Conference Title overall for SPASH, which won the Clover Valley Golf League three years in a row before the start of WVC play in 2017.

In the final conference individual standings, Abby Nickel had 85.5 points to win WVC Medalist honors over Yang (84), Ally Nickel (74.5), Earnest (71.5) and Pechinski (67), as each earned First Team All-WVC honors.

Freshman Riley Pechinski earned First Team All-WVC honors for the SPASH girls golf team this season. (John Kemmeter photo)

Bonikowske was sixth with 47 points to earn Second Team All-WVC honors. which gave SPASH five of the Top 6 golfers in the conference this season in the final individual standings.

Junior Megan Bonikowske earned Second Team All-WVC honors this season for the SPASH girls golf team. (John Kemmeter photo)

The Panthers are scheduled to compete next in the WIAA Division 1 Regional at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2.

The top two teams there will advance to the Division 1 Sectional at the Stevens Point Country Club at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct.8, where a trip to the State Meet will be on the line.