Ely golfer in top half of state field

Kaytie Spangler had her first state tournament experience, and she hopes it wasn’t her last.The Ely sophomore finished with a two-day, 36-hole score of 187, and wound up 40th in a field of 88 golfers at the Minnesota State High School League Class A girls event, held June 8-9 at Izaty’s in Onamia.Spangler reached one goal - to finish in the upper half of the Class A tournament - but she returned home wanting more.“I didn’t do as well as I would have liked to do,” said Spangler. “That course was hard for me.”Spangler was shooting for sub-90 rounds at the state competition, but finished just a few strokes shy after consistent rounds of 94 and 93, respectively.“She was hoping for a 90, but I think she had a good experience,” said Ely Head Coach Rob Simonich. “She got to see the rest of the field and where she stands. The state champ is a 10th grader and she shot a 73, which was unreal.”Spangler was in 40th place after the first day of competition, and that’s where she stayed after the second round.The experience could help Spangler if she returns to state next season.“Next year, if I make it I want to try and place in the top-25,” said Spangler. “It was a lot different. Everybody was really competitive down there. It was a lot more tense. It’s hard to explain.”Spangler was one of just four golfers to shoot an eagle in the tournament, shooting a two-under par on the par-five ninth hole.“It was kind of funny because she didn’t realize what she had done,” said Simonich. “She asked if I saw her birdie on nine, and I told her ‘you didn’t shoot a birdie. It was an eagle.’”Spangler dominated East Range Conference meets during the spring and qualified for state after taking fourth in Section 7A. She was the first golfer in the history of the Ely girls program to advance to state, and the first Ely golfer of either gender to qualify since 1967, when Bob Artisensi earned a spot in the state meet.And though the high school season has been completed, Spangler’s golf season is far from over.She is scheduled to compete in three Minnesota Golf Association tournaments this month.