The Hastings Raiders girls’ golf team wrapped up its regular season schedule at the Metro East Conference Championship on May 18 at Highland National Golf Course in St. Paul. Competing in the varsity team stroke play event against seven conference schools, the Raiders finished fifth in the final team standings with a score of 393. Hill-Murray claimed the conference title with a 289, while Mahtomedi placed second at 320 and Two Rivers finished third at 323. Simley took fourth with 354, just ahead of Hastings in a competitive conference field.
Hastings was led by junior Harmon Brown, who turned in the Raiders' top round of the day. Brown carded an 89 to finish 14th overall, posting a score of 17-over-par on the challenging Highland National layout. Her round gave the Raiders a strong anchor score and capped another consistent performance against some of the conference's top players.
Senior Haylee Newton followed closely behind for Hastings, shooting a 100 to place 24th overall. Newton was one of two Raiders to reach triple digits, helping the team secure its fifth-place finish. Freshman MacKenzie Krauth and sophomore Anika Johnson each posted rounds of 102, tying for 27th place. Their matching scores provided valuable depth in the team standings and helped Hastings maintain separation from the teams behind them.
The remainder of the Raiders lineup included sophomore Maddy Ritter, who finished with a 116 and placed 35th overall, and senior Lauren Judge, who shot a 117 to place 36th. While the team faced a difficult course and strong conference competition, all six players completed their rounds and contributed to the Raiders' final conference placement.
When the scores were tallied, Hastings finished fifth in the Metro East Conference Championship with a team score of 393. Brown paced the Raiders with her 89 and 14th-place finish, while Newton placed 24th at 100. Krauth and Johnson each tied for 27th with rounds of 102, Ritter was 35th at 116, and Judge finished 36th at 117. Hill-Murray captured the conference championship with a team score of 289, and the Pioneers were the only team to finish near par for the tournament.
With the regular season now complete, the Raiders turn their attention to postseason play. Hastings will compete in day one of the Section tournament beginning at 9:18 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27, at Loggers Trail Golf Course. The top five teams and top 10 individuals, not on the top five teams, advance to day 2, which is May 29 at Bunker Hills, time to be determined as of press time. The event will provide the Raiders an opportunity to extend their season and compete for advancement against the top teams and golfers in Section 3AAA.