New Palestine High School

The New Palestine golf team won its second straight sectional championship Monday, shooting a 357 and sweeping the top spots as individuals. The Dragons beat Mt. Vernon, which shot 376, by 19 strokes to win the title. Rushville finished third with a 411. All three teams advance to Saturday's regional at Edgewood Country Club in Anderson. Dragons sophomore Katie Kelley won the individual sectional title, shooting an 87 at The Links. She shot 41 on the front nine and 46 on the back. All four of the Dragons' scorers finished in the top five individually. Freshman Lauren Deering and senior Hanna Beller each shot 89s to finish in a second-place tie for individual sectional honors. Senior Lauren Appleby shot 92 to finish fifth overall, while junior Lily Kirchner added a 95 in the Dragons' final match of the season on their home course. She finished eighth among the 41 golfers in the field. The victory adds to the Dragons' trophy case, which also includes Hancock County and Hoosier Heritage Conference titles this season. The Dragons will be one of 15 teams competing in Saturday's regional, which begins at 9 a.m. The top three teams and top three individuals from non-advancing teams move on to the Sept. 29-30 State Finals at Prairie View in Carmel.