PHOTO BY IOWA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION - Marshalltown junior Ryan Schmit, left, and sophomore Natalie Henson pose with their winnings after claiming first place at the IGHSAU/IHSAA Class 2A State Co-Ed Golf Tournament on Tuesday at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames.

AMES — The Marshalltown girls’ and boys’ golf teams have played plenty of rounds at Veenker Memorial Golf Course — maybe even more than they’d care to.

On Tuesday, all that experience came in handy for a pair of Bobcat pairs.

MHS junior Ryan Schmit and sophomore Natalie Henson combined to shoot a 1-over-par round of 74 and win the IGHSAU/IHSAA Class 2A State Co-Ed Golf Tournament, topping a 50-team field with a two-stroke cushion.

Fellow Bobcats Eli Polley and Gaby Estabrook, both sophomores, tied for 24th place as well as Marshalltown’s golfers capitalized on their last competitve rounds of the school year.

“What a great way to end the golf season for both Natalie Henson and Ryan Schmit,” said MHS head coach Lucas Johnson. “Each of them had strong individual state tournament showings, and coming together they made for quite a formidable pairing.”

Schmit and Henson finished seventh in last season’s spring co-ed golf tournament at the American Legion Memorial Golf Course in Marshalltown, while then-seniors Grant Greazel and Amber Henson placed second in 2A.

Natalie took ninth in the Class 4A girls’ state golf tournament this spring, while Schmit tied for 14th in his boys’ state golf debut last fall. Their experience playing together, as well as around the treacherous Veenker track, paid dividends in a big way.

“We’re no strangers to Veenker and the dangers it can present,” Johnson said. “They used that familiarity to put together a great round. Natalie’s game tee-to-green was outstanding and Ryan had a hot putter that gained them quite a few strokes on the field. They had only one penalty on the day on the difficult par-5 seventh hole, but were able to salvage par with a long putt.

“Having played together in the event last year and finishing inside the top-10 game them some confidence heading in. Alternate shot can be a tricky format for a golfer used to playing their own ball, but they settled in and put each other in great spots throughout the day.”

Behind the Bobcat tandem of Henson and Schmit was the Cedar Rapids Washington pairing of Jane Petersen and Ben Blocklinger, who shot 76 for second place. Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Addie Berg and Payton Burns carded a 77 for third.

Polley and Estabrook finished in with a 91.

CLASS 1A

BOONE — The Grundy Center golf teams proved the spring season was no fluke with a pair of top-15 finishes at the Class 1A State Co-Ed Golf Tournament on Monday at Cedar Pointe Golf Course, the site of the Spartan girls’ most recent state championship.

Grundy Center senior Abbie Lindeman and freshman Judd Jirovsky, both of whom won individual 1A state titles individually, teamed up for a 10th-place finish on Monday with their round of 82. The Clear Lake pair of Meghan DeLong and Elijah Anderson won the alternate shot tournament with their 4-over-par round of 76.

Lindeman and Jirovsky scored the 10th and final medalist spot to add to a collection that last month gained both a 1A team championship trophy and individual medalist honors.

Fellow Spartans Avery Dirks and Ben Wegmann, both seniors, scored 15th place for their combined round of 84.

The West Marshall duo of senior Ella Meyer and freshman Hunter Polley paired up to tie for 12th place with an 83. Meyer was a three-time state qualifier in 2A for the Trojans, who surged to place second in the team standings this spring.

West Marshall’s senior duo of Lauren Solberg and Luke Vawter combined to shoot a 91, tying for 32nd place. BCLUW’s junior pair of Lindsay Beeghly and Mason Martin were a part of the three-way tie for 32nd, also shooting 91.

Comet freshman Leah McEwen and junior Bodie Butler combined to shoot a 95, placing 43rd in the 68-team tournament. Beeghly and McEwen were a part of BCLUW’s fourth-place team finish at state on the same course less than two weeks earlier.