By CONOR NICHOLL
Frontenac boys’ golf, with zero seniors in the starting lineup, won back-to-back tournaments in the first two weeks of 2023.
On April 4, Frontenac won its own meet with a 316 at the par-65 Four Oaks course. The Raiders were 20 shots ahead of Fort Scott and 28 in front of Pittsburg Colgan.
Cole Niederklein, a junior, was first with a 71. Junior Vinny Pyle took runner-up with a 74. Junior Aidan Hill finished fifth with an 81. Sophomore Cooper Born tied for 12th with a 90.
Frontenac won the Baxter Springs Invitational tournament Monday. Pile was the top medalist with a 76, Hill finished second at 82 and Niederklein took third with an 83. Trey Cramer tied for 17th with a 93. Freshman Lucas Lundberg rounded out the team.
Last season at state, Niederklein tied for tenth with an 80, and Pile tied for 18th with an 81. Two years ago, Pile also earned all-state honors with a 164 and a tie for 20th. Frontenac finished fifth with a 335. Hill shot an 85 with a tie for 33.
Per Kansas Golf Scores, Pile has 17 career rounds with an average score of 79.6. Niederklein has 17 rounds with an 83.8 average, including an all-time best 69. Hill has a 90.9 in 17 rounds.
