D-NH's Costello, A-P Steege earn All-NICL boys golf honors

CEDAR FALLS – For the first time, all 16 NICL schools competed in a one-day, 18-hole tournament to determine one true boys golf champion for the league.

In a competitive field, Dike-New Hartford’s Carson Costello and Aplington-Parkersburg’s Will Steege earned All-NICL recognition with top-15 individual finishes at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls last Wednesday.

Costello placed ninth with an 18-hole round of 78. Steege won a cardback tiebreaker with Union’s Mack Schmitz to finish 11th with an 80.

Grundy Center won the team title with a score of 303, well ahead of runner-up Hudson with 322. A-P was fourth with 334 strokes, D-NH tied for sixth with 338 strokes.

A-P’s Jace Pruisner followed with an 83, one stroke off of the top-15 cutoff. Caleb Campbell came in with an 84 and Kale Riherd closed out scoring with an 87. Mason Ridder and Cooper Hoff shot a 91 and 93, respectively.

D-NH’s Jacob Stockdale also turned in an 83 and Benton Bixby shot an 86. Kamden Kannegieter was D-NH’s final team scorer with a 91; Shayden Loger and Jaxon Wauters contributed a 93 and 104 on their scorecards.

POSTSEASON PLAY: Aplington-Parkersburg is set to host a sectional meet at Legend Trail at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 11. Also competing are Alburnett, Denver, Dike-New Hartford, East Marshall, Hudson, South Hardin and Union. The top two teams (or top three teams if A-P is one of the top two), along with the top two individuals, plus ties, from non-qualifying teams, will advance to the district tournament on Monday, May 16 at State Center. The same process will hold for qualifying top district qualifiers to state.