South Bend Trinity at Greenlawn, ECA's Hibbard looking to make history on golf course

In a year where there doesn’t feel like a truly dominant boys golf team in the area, could players from two of the smaller schools end up making it to the state tournament?

It’s plausible with Elkhart Christian senior Aiden Hibbard and the full South Bend Trinity at Greenlawn team. Either making it to state would seem to defy the odds, as the schools have 297 students combined (ECA 170, Trinity 127). In an individual sport like golf, though, anything is possible.

More: Which South Bend-area high school boys golf teams will thrive in 2024?

Hibbard has been close to advancing to state before, falling one shot short in the regional as a sophomore. Meanwhile, Trinity has senior Jacob Palmer back from a trip to the IHSAA state finals last year at Prairie View GC in Carmel. Combined with a talented quartet of players behind him, the Titans could be in the mix to advance out of sectionals as a team, putting them within arm’s reach of state.

Palmer, Trinity look to grow from last year’s experience

Trinity at Greenlawn has only been competing in the IHSAA for three years now, which made Palmer’s trip to state last year a historic one. The then-junior became the first Trinity athlete to compete in any state finals, shooting a 79 on the first day and 80 on the second to finish with a 159.

2023 state finals: Fairfield’s Brayden Miller sixth; Guerin Catholic wins 2nd straight IHSAA boys golf title

As expected, it was a learning experience for Palmer playing on a big stage like the state finals provides.

“I was able to find what I needed to work on,” Palmer said. “Hopefully, coming back this year, I’ll be able to have a better game plan going into the course. I’ve put a lot of work into my swing because that’s what I failed with most. So, I’m just trying to learn from my mistakes and also pick better targets on the course.”

This season looks different for the Titans than its prior two. While the focus in the past was more on individuals in Palmer and fellow senior Max Cressy, Trinity has a deep lineup this year due to a trio of freshmen. Two of them are younger brothers of the seniors in Nate Palmer and Jack Cressy, while Dane Sweikar rounds out the five-man lineup that has Trinity thinking of team goals this year.

The Titans’ depth was on display in a nine-hole match with ECA Tuesday. With the older Palmer and Cressy grinding out 41’s, Sweikar stepped up with a career-best nine-hole score of 34 at Bent Oak GC in Elkhart. Jack Cressy had a 38 and Nate Palmer 46 to round out the scoring.

“It’s really fun, but also creates a good competitive environment because you don’t want to lose to your little brother, and they want to beat us,” Jacob Palmer said. “We’re all pretty close in skill level, so it’s pretty competitive — but still fun at the same time.”

After making his own individual history last year, Jacob Palmer looks to have some friends join him at Prairie View this time around.

“One goal is to win sectionals, then make it to state and see where we go from there,” Palmer said. “It’ll depend on where our game is at when we’re at that point. … It’d be awesome to be the first team at Trinity in any sport to go to state. It’d be impressive with how small we are.”

Hibbard hoping to end high school career on high note

Hibbard already had a dream season on the basketball court this past winter, hitting game-winning shots to win sectional and regional championships before the Eagles bowed out of the Class 1A tournament to eventual state champion Fort Wayne Canterbury in the semistate semifinal.

More: Hibbard wins Tribune Athlete of the Week vote, Feb. 26-March 3

Now, he’s hoping to replicate similar success on the golf course — albeit in front of less fans and a much quieter setting.

“Golf is a special sport,” Hibbard said. “It is unbelievably hard, and it’s relaxing, and it’s horrible at the same time. Making state is definitely very tough — obviously, I haven’t done it before. I’m close, and I know that. Just have to keep your head up.”

Hibbard, who’ll play collegiate golf at Cedarville University in Ohio, hits the ball a long way off the tee. Controlling where it lands, though, as well as the play from 100 yards-in are things Hibbard pointed out as keys to him advancing to state this time around.

After falling short the last three years, the senior is itching to check off that final box of his high school career.

“It’s a big motivator,” Hibbard said. “Definitely, freshman and last year were big disappointments and I was sad with how those seasons ended. That’s motivation to get better, and I know there are a bunch of guys in the area that are tough. … Just trying to be as good as them is a big motivator. Just have to play my best, get better and leave the results to God.”

Other notable boys golf individuals from the South Bend area

Along with Hibbard and the Trinity team, here are five other boys golfers from the area to keep an eye on this spring.

Fairfield junior Brayden Miller

Miller is coming off a sixth-place finish at the state finals last year. He’s already off to a strong start this spring, winning the Goshen Invitational with a 72 at Black Squirrel this past weekend.

Saint Joseph junior Thomas Raster

The two-time Northern Indiana Conference MVP looks to lead the Huskies to state this year after they fell one shot short of that goal in regionals last year.

Penn senior Dylan Mounts

Mounts is one of the veterans back for the Kingsmen, who finished 16th as a team at the state finals last year. The senior was the best player for Penn at Prairie View a season ago, shooting a two-day total of 157.

Northridge senior brothers Coby and Conner Hochstetler

Both Hochstetler brothers will anchor a Raider lineup that’s coming off its first state finals trip in program history last year. The twins have been the No. 1 and No. 2 players in Northridge’s rotation this season so far, both moving up one spot due to the graduation of Brock Reschly.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Can Trinity, ECA's Hibbard make boys golf state finals? It's possible