Lake City senior Emily Schimbenohas been selected as one of eight finalists for Ms. Minnesota Golf 2016.
Schimbeno helped Lake City win the Section One, Class AA team championship. Lake City will compete in the state meet this coming week.
"I'm honored that I'm in the top eight with those people," Schimbeno said. "It's amazing to be up there with them.
"I wasn't expecting it."
This marks the first year of the award. Each finalist will receive a small scholarship from the Minnesota Golf Coaches Association, and 2016 playing and practice privileges at Windsong Farm Golf Club.
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Other finalists for the award are Edina's Hannah Hankinson, Westbrook Walnut's Abby Herding, New Prague's Taylor Ledwin, Minnetonka's Katie McMillan, Spring Lake Park's Ally Rogers, Detroit Lakes' Kate Smithand Lakeville North's Brianna Vetter.
The award is for seniors only. Schimbeno, in her fifth varsity season, has a career-low 78.8 stroke average this spring, with a best score of 69. She is ranked No. 13 in the state, but some golfers ranked ahead of her are not seniors.
"Emily has meant a lot to our program these past five seasons," Lake City coach Steve Randgaardsaid. "She has played a major role in the success we have had as a team. She puts the time in that one needs to to be successful in this sport."
Schimbeno will be playing in the state team championship for the second time. As a freshman, she helped Lake City place fourth in Class AA.
"I think we can bring home the first-place trophy if we all play our game, which we can do," Schimbeno said.
She has also placed 12th and 15th in the state, out of 88 golfers, individually the past two seasons. She hopes to earn a top-eight Class AA individual finish this season.
"I want to do better than that and hopefully get a spot on the podium," she said.
The state tournament will be at The Ridges of Sand Creek this coming Tuesday and Wednesday in Jordan.
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Schimbeno has landed a scholarship to play college golf at Division II South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the same school her older brother attends.
"Emily is a real competitor and a leader," Randgaard said. "We will miss her next season."
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Looks like Mayo High School is in line for a new track. The current all-weather track was built in 1988 and was last repaired in 2009.
At a recent School Board meeting, Scott Sherdensaid in a submitted proposal for a new track that "the track condition has deteriorated to the point where the existing surface is detaching from the substrate particularly on the runways and inside lanes."
Bids were taken for a new track and the Board approved a proposal for a track at a total cost of $372,844.
Midwest Tennis and Track won the bid and said the new track will be in place no later than Oct. 22, 2017.
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Rochester's Ashley Hammeshas announced she will attend Northland College in Ashland, Wis., and she plans to play two sports.
Hammes, a 2016 Mayo High grad, will play both women's hockey and lacrosse. She will join a Northland hockey team that will play its first senior in 2016-17. Hammes played three years of varsity hockey at Mayo and tallied 15 points in 23 games as a senior. She was a team captain for two years and was also honorable mention All-Big Nine Conference both seasons.
She played four years of varsity lacrosse for Mayo. Hammes was on the National Honor Society for two years.
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Current University of Minnesota player Matt Fiedler, who played for the Rochester Honkers last summer, was drafted in the ninth round (286 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in the Major League Baseball draft.
Fiedler, a native of Eagan, hit .366 in his junior season with the Gophers. He had 12 doubles, eight home runs, scored 47 runs and stole 14 bases in 58 games. Fiedler was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year.
On the mound, Fiedler went 7-4 with a 4.32 ERA this season at Minnesota.
Fiedler played for the Honkers in 2015, hitting .354 with 28 runs, six doubles, eight home runs and 37 RBI in 41 games. On the mound, he was was 2-5 with a 4.27 ERA.
