The Hastings Raiders girls golf team hosted two home dual meets last week at Hidden Greens Golf Course in Hastings, competing in Minnesota State High School League varsity team stroke play events on April 14 and April 16. The Raiders faced Two Rivers on April 14 and Mahtomedi on April 16, meeting two strong Class AAA opponents during a busy stretch of early season play on their home course.
Hastings opened the week April 14 against Two Rivers and finished second with a team score of 213, while the Warriors posted a 169 to win the meet. Junior Harmon Brown led the Raiders with a 49, placing fifth overall and setting the pace for the Hastings lineup. Senior Lauren Judge followed closely with a 51 to take sixth place, giving Hastings two players inside the top six.
Sophomore Anika Johnson added a 53 to place seventh and strengthen the middle of the varsity group. Sophomore Maddie McNamara shot a 60 to finish ninth, while senior Haylee Newton recorded a 61 for 10th place. Sophomore Maddy Ritter rounded out the Hastings scoring with a 62 and an 11th place finish. The Raiders placed three golfers between fifth and seventh place and had all six varsity players finish inside the top 11, showing steady depth across the lineup despite the team score gap.
Hastings closed the meet in second place behind Two Rivers, with Brown’s fifth place round leading the team effort. Judge and Johnson also finished near the top of the standings, helping keep the Raiders competitive throughout the match as they continued to settle into the early part of the season.
The Raiders returned to Hidden Greens on April 16 to face Mahtomedi and again finished second, this time with a team score of 209. Mahtomedi matched Two Rivers with a winning total of 169. Brown improved her score from earlier in the week and placed fourth overall with a 47, giving Hastings its best individual finish across the two meets.
Freshman MacKenzie Krauth delivered a strong round of 53 to place sixth, adding another top finish for the Raiders. Judge followed with a 54 to take eighth place, while Johnson recorded a 55 for 10th. Ritter finished 11th with a 59, and Newton added a 60 to place 12th. Hastings placed four golfers between sixth and 11th place in another balanced team performance against a tough opponent.
Hastings finished second as a team with its 209 total, led by Brown’s fourth place round and Krauth’s sixth place effort. Judge also added an eighth-place finish as the Raiders continued to show consistent scoring throughout the varsity lineup in back-to-back home meets against strong competition.
Hastings returns to action Thursday, April 23 at 9 a.m. when the Raiders host Farmington, Owatonna, and Shakopee at Hastings Golf Club. The team then travels Tuesday, April 28 for a 2:30 p.m. meet against North and Tartan at Goodrich Golf Course. Hastings will play again at home Thursday, April 30 at 3 p.m. against South St. Paul at Hidden Greens Golf Course, before hosting Simley on Monday, May 4 at 3 p.m. at Inverwood Golf Course as the regular season schedule continues.