Yosemite High School girls golf coach Rusty Oetinger has been named the Co-Coach of the Year in the CIF Central Section by the Fresno Bee, and team member Jessica Rudd has been selected to the Bee’s 10-member All-Star team. The Central Section runs from Fresno to Bakersfield, and consists of more than 100 schools.
Dominant in North Sequoia League for years, this season the Badger girls golf team won its first CIF Central Section Championship (D-II) in the school’s 39-year history.
The team won the section title Oct. 27 at the Madera Municipal Golf Course with a team score of 480. Yosemite’s Rudd, Kelsi Stieler, and Claire Oetinger led the team to the title with scores of 86, 89, and 95 respectfully.
Second place at the D-II championships went to Bakersfield Christian with a team score of 514, and third went to Lemoore with a team score of 535.
Prior to the section title, the team won the North Area combined D-1 and D-II Championship Tournament Oct. 20 at Madera Municipal Golf Course. Rudd again shot a 77 to finish sixth. Oetinger placed eighth and Stieler 11th. After that tournament, Rudd and Stieler advanced to the State Southern Section Tournament where they finished in the middle of the field.
The team won the NSL league title for the 10th consecutive year on Oct. 8. Rudd won the tournament shooting a 77, and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. Stieler placed second at the league tournament with a 78, and freshman Oetinger placed third with an 88.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected as the Central Section Co-Coach of the Year, especially coming from a small school like Yosemite, “ Oetinger said. “I feel very fortunate to be the coach at Yosemite and I am so appreciative of the support of the entire community.”
Oetinger said being named to the Bee’s All-Star team was well deserved by Rudd.
“This is a culmination for Jessica of not just this year’s hard work, but the hard work she has put in over the past four years,” Oetinger said. “I would put Jessica in the list of top players I have coached over 13 years at Yosemite High School.”
Coach Ken Shipley of Clovis West shared the coaching honors with Oetinger, and the Golfer of the Year was Katie Horsford of Clovis West.
- Staff report
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