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Great Season Comes To A Halt

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By SCOTT PURKS Tribune correspondent

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 23, 2008

TAMPA - All in all, it was a great season for Mitchell's girls golf team, even though its final team score - a 356 at Monday's regional - wasn't quite what it had hoped, or even expected.

"I think maybe the girls were trying too hard," Mitchell coach Joe Castellano said. "I think they put too much pressure on themselves, particularly at the beginning of the round."

Which was the reason the reason the Mustangs shot 22 strokes lower on Monday's backside (169) than they did on the front (187).

"They definitely settled down a bit," Castellano said. "And it showed in every way."

Perhaps most telling was the fact the Van Etten sisters - junior Megan and freshman Rebecca - shot 79 and 78 at Tampa's Heritage Isles Golf Club. A week before at Meadow Oaks Golf Club, Megan shot 4-under-par 66, while Rebecca was at 1-under 69. A week before that at the Sunshine Athletic Conference tournament, the Megan shot 63 and Rebecca shot 67.

"Today we did play on a different course and that had to be a bit of a factor," Castellano said. "But the bottom line is that we got beat by better teams Durant won the regional at 311 and Wharton qualified with a second-place finish at 314."
Castellano said the fact the regional tournament was played at Heritage Isles as opposed to where he initially thought it would be played, at Mitchell's home course, Heritage Springs in Tarpon Springs, was no factor at all.
Castellano said he was originally upset that the tournament wasn't going to be played at Heritage Springs because the Florida High School Athletic Association had apparently lost the paper work he had sent to them confirming the site.

"But," he said, "five minutes after we found out at districts that we weren't going to host, we were over it. Right then we were focused on playing at Heritage Isles."

The good news for Mitchell is that it returns the Van Ettens and a solid group around them.

Next year, however, they will most likely have to contend with Sickles sophomore Alex Milan, who won Monday's individual title with an 8-under-par 64.

"One thing the girls will definitely take from this is a great experience," Castellano said. "That alone will make them better."

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