By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Ryle won the Region 6 girls’ golf tournament for the second consecutive year with an impressive team performance on Tuesday at Lassing Pointe in Union.
With all five golfers among the top seven scorers, Ryle posted a 304 team total that was 60 strokes better than second-place St. Henry.
It’s the lowest team score and widest margin of victory recorded in the Northern Kentucky girls’ regional golf tournament over the last 20 years.
Cooper senior Madison Smith shot a 69 to take medalist honors. The next three names on the leader board were Ryle golfers Olivia DiPaolo (71), Caitlyn Richardson (75) and Brooklynn DiPaolo (78). There was a tie for fifth place with Kaitlyn Skaggs of Ryle and Jenna Doumont of Villa Madonna both carding an 80.
Sophia DiPaolo, one of three sisters in the Ryle lineup, took seventh place with an 84, but each team only uses the top four scores for its final total.
The winner and runner-up teams in each region qualify for next week’s state tournament at Bowling Green Country Club. St. Henry earned a berth for the first time ever by placing second with a 364 team total. This is the first time since 2003 that Notre Dame Academy didn’t qualify for the state tournament.
Local teams also competed in the Region 8 tournament at Northern Kentucky Golf Course in Pendleton County on Tuesday. Scott County won the regional team title and Clark County was runner-up. One of the individual golfers who qualified for state was Brossart sophomore Abby Cook, who carded an 88 to tie for fifth place.
REGION 6 STATE QUALIFIERS
RYLE (First place team) — Olivia DiPaolo 71, Caitlyn Richardson 75, Brooklynn DiPaolo 78, Kaitlyn Skaggs 80, Sophia DiPaolo 84.
ST. HENRY (Second place team) — Maddi Hudson 88, Liz Roch 89, Lauren Mays 93, Mia Schrand 94, Ava Berling 95.
INDIVIDUALS — Madison Smith (Cooper) 69, Jenna Doumont (Villa Madonna) 80, Brooke Bihl (NewCath) 86, Hannah Hall (Walton-Verona) 87.