Neuqua Valley’s Jessica Yuen repeats in Class AA

DECATUR — Anybody could forgive you if you took a double-take at the final individual standings at the Class AA state meet at Hickory Point in Decatur.

For the second straight year, it was Neuqua Valley junior Jessica Yuen and Waubonsie Valley senior Bing Singhsumalee at the top of the standings. And for the second straight year, it was Yuen bringing home the state title.

Yuen and Singhsumalee each shot 69 on Saturday. But Yuen shot a 73 Friday, two strokes clear of Singhsumalee, and that was enough to give her another state title. Yuen finished second in a rain-shortened meet her freshman year, as well.

“It’s completely fitting,” Neuqua coach John Keller said of the close friends being at the top of the leaderboard yet again. “Bing played an incredible round. Jess was just amazing. She was just unreal. We would tell her, all right, here’s your aiming point, and that’s where she’d be. She just has ice in her veins. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that she’s the best high school golfer we’ve ever had in Illinois.”

Singhsumalee finished her round an hour before Yuen finished. Through her 15th hole, Yuen led by a stroke. But Yuen sunk a long birdie putt on 16 and carded another birdie on 17. That allowed her to play the 18th conservatively, but her lone bogey of the day didn’t harm her.

“It is satisfying,” Yuen said. “Compared to last year, it was the pressure of winning state. I had a couple of swing changes. Mostly mental, pressure, but I figured something out after regionals and preparing for state.”

Lincoln-Way West senior Alexis Biedrzycki returned to state after sitting out last year to play a national tournament and placed third. Lincoln-Way East senior Kelly Sterling tied for sixth, while Roshannah Gaur of Hinsdale Central, Reena Sulkar of Barrington and Blake Yaccino of Loyola tied for eighth.

Gaur helped lead the Red Devils to their first-ever team girls golf state championship, on a day when their boys team won a third straight state title. Hinsdale Central ran away with the team title, finishing 15 strokes clear of second-place Loyola with a 634. The Ramblers shot a 649, while New Trier placed third with a 653.

“Really happy for the girls,” Hinsdale Central coach Nick Latorre said. “There was great team chemistry, really, really nice kids that worked extremely hard at their game all year-round. I couldn’t be any happier for the girls.”

The Red Devils featured a young lineup, with Danielle Smith being the lone senior. They were also extremely consistent. Jessica Lee, Selina Zeng, Smith and Erin Bruns finished between 160 and 163, all in a line.

“We are young,” Latorre said. “We are going to miss Danielle. She did a great job for us all season, great leadership. We have a really talented group of girls.”