Knights senior golfer Amelia Schmitz, center, pictured with head coach Ryan Slater (left) and assistant coach Holden Caloud (right). Schmitz qualified as an individual for district golf this season, marking the first time a Union girls golfer has done so in at least a couple decades. PHOTO COURTESY OF RYAN SLATER

DENVER – The Union boys golf team participated in the sectional meet held on Wednesday, May 14, at Denver. We knew the competition was going to be tight for 2nd and 3rd place positions to be able to advance to the next round.

The obvious favorite for the meet was Waterloo Columbus who did end up winning the meet with a score of 307. The Knights squad got off to a good start with our top three scorers just a few over par near the end of the front 9. Our strength as a team is our depth, and I really felt like if we had four scores averaging 82 we could advance and it so happens we would have by a stroke. However, we finished up just short with a team score of 333 and a 4th place finish.

Even though we weren’t able to advance as a team, we still had two players qualify for Districts as individuals including freshman Nash Schmitz who chipped in on the last hole to secure a score of 82, and sophomore Coy Mehlert who matched that score to advance as well. As individuals they were joined by Tripp Thompson (76) and Gavin Gunnarson of Hudson (82).

District team qualifiers this year included Columbus Catholic 307; Denver 326; and Maquoketa Valley 329.

Districts

Union boys golf district qualifiers this season include (l-r) freshman Nash Schmitz and sophomore Coy Mehlert. PHOTO COURTESY OF RYAN SLATER

The District round of competition took place on Monday, May 19, at South Hills Golf Course in Waterloo. Both Nash and Coy had up and down rounds on the day in cold and windy conditions.

Nash ended with a round of 86, while Coy shot a 93. The two biggest names in the conference Judd Jirvosky of Grundy Center and Cody Weaver of East Marshall tied for top spot with 77s. Jirovsky was able to beat Weaver on the second playoff hole to secure medalist honors.

It was great to see two of Union’s young players experience so much success this season, and we look for more of the same in the years to come. They will be joined by three seniors in the starting lineup next season. We will be looking for the team to build this year’s success and make a deep run in 2026.

State team qualifiers this year included Columbus 319; Grundy Center 323; and East Marshall 328.

One more Schmitz

On the girls side we knew we had our work cut out for us as a team but felt like our senior leader Amelia Schmitz (and Nash’s older sister) had a good chance at advancing. The girls have a much more difficult time of qualifying for the next round as the association only looks at the top-6 scorers for the meet in order to find those individuals from non-qualifying teams.

Amelia opened with a front 9 score of 46. The wind then kicked up to 40 mph and made scoring very difficult for the field. Amelia’s driving distance and lag putting have been her chief asset in recent weeks, and they did not let her down on this day. She was able to card a score of 95 and finished in 6th place overall qualifying for the district meet at South Hardin. She is our first individual qualifier in a couple decades, so the achievement means a great deal for our program going forward.

The Knights as a team finished in sixth on the day. Three players off this team will be seniors next year and so we look for continued growth with them as they finish up their careers.

District team qualifiers this year included: Oelwein 371; Denver 410; and North Fayette Valley 414.

At the Class 2A Region 3 district meet held at Pine Lake Country Club in Eldora on Wednesday, May 21, Amelia got off to a good start on the front 9 playing even with her competitors from Oelwein and Grundy Center. She was able to get off the tee very well all day but had some trouble from the fairways. She did end with a 20 foot make on her last putt to shoot 106 and finish in 15th place.

Coach Holden Caloud and I appreciate all of Amelia’s efforts as a four-year varsity player and the leadership she has shown for this team and future ones.

State team qualifiers this year included Oelwein with 366 and Grundy Center with 375.