The Marshalltown girls’ golf team has been given the opportunity to grow — not through regular amounts sunshine and rain, but by way of ever-present challenges and the squad’s ability to rise above them.

The Bobcats hosted the Linda Bloom Invitational on a cool and dreary Thursday at Elmwood Country Club, entertaining 12 other teams for their annual 18-hole tournament in memory of the longtime girls golf and girls swimming coach who passed away in 2011.

With course and weather conditions inconducive to scoring, Marshalltown made off with a pair of individual medals and third place in the final team standings.

The top two ranked teams in the state finished as such, as Pleasant Valley held off Waukee Northwest for first place, 325-331. The Bobcats, who entered as the seventh-ranked team in the state’s combined adjusted scoring average, brought in the bronze with a 366.

It marked Marshalltown’s highest 18-hole event total to this point in the season, but head coach Lucas Johnson has a clearer view of the bigger picture that Thursday presented.

“We faced the toughest conditions we’ve seen so far this season and Elmwood was playing tough, but the girls did a great job hanging in there,” said Johnson. “We’re learning to keep our composure and not let a bad hole or a bad shot compound itself into more errors.”

Thursday was the opportune time to hone those skills, considering the wind, cold and daunting course conditions.

Johnson wouldn’t have it any other way.

“This is the stretch of the season where we play courses in Elmwood and Veenker (in Ames) that might not necessarily help lower the season scoring average, but we stressed to the team that these are the courses that sharpen your skills as a player and make you much better in the long run,” he said.

Johnson considers it a bonus that his Bobcats could score a little hardware while still learning those lessons along the way.

MHS senior Harper Wilson led the team with a round of 86 to claim the 11th-place medal, while sophomore Morgan Hilderbrand had an 89 that earned her 15th.

Wilson birdied the par-4 fifth hole, while Hilderbrand birdied the par-4 18th to close out her round.

Emma Clawson came away with a 93 and Avery Polley posted a 98 to round out Marshalltown’s team scoring. Hanna Osgood (106) and Kamryn Price (132) also competed for the host Bobcats.

Pleasant Valley’s pair of Camille Wood and Ella Sherrick both shot the low round of the day, with Wood winning the cardback after both finished in with a 6-over-par 76. The top-ranked Spartans had all four counting scores finish in the top 12, while Waukee Northwest was a close second after all four of their scoring golfers placed in the top seven.

BCLUW came away with 10th place in the 13-team tournament with a 394 total. Leah McEwen carded a 92 to take 21st place overall to lead the Comets.

Jaya Beeghly 95, Gracie Andrews 101 and Ainsley Geerhart 106 completed the team scoring for BCLUW, which tied Ottumwa for the ninth-best team score of the tournament but settled for 10th after the fifth-score tiebreaker.

Marshalltown returns to action Monday with the Turk Bowman Invite hosted by Ames at Veenker Memorial Golf Course, while BCLUW hosts an invitational on Monday at Union Hills Golf Course.

Linda Bloom Invitational

At Marshalltown

Elmwood Country Club, par 70

Team Standings — 1. Pleasant Valley 325, 2. Waukee Northwest 331, 3. Marshalltown 366, 4. Waukee 376, 5. Ames 379, 6. Dallas Center-Grimes 384, 7. Ankeny Centennial 386, 8. Grundy Center 391, 9. Ottumwa 394, 10. BCLUW 394, 11. Nevada 404, 12. Newton 419, 13. Mason City 520.

Individual (top 10) — 1. Camille Wood, PV, 76; 2. Ella Sherrick, PV, 76; 3. Adalyn Wiig, WNW, 78; 4. Piper Sandfort, WNW, 84; 5. Sasha Sundet, WNW, 84; 6. Joey Moberg, DCG, 85; 7. Allison Pettitt, WNW, 85; 8. Addie Ratcliff, NWT, 85; 9. Lauren Van Hauen, AMES, 86; 10. Lila Haffarnan, PV, 86.

PLEASANT VALLEY (325) — Wood 76, Sherrick 76, Haffarnan 86, Stella Roemer 87, Lyla Johnon 93, Kinsail Blaylock 95.

WAUKEE NORTHWEST (331) — Wiig 78, Sandfort 84, Sundet 84, Pettitt 85, Kendall Curran 90, Reese Duffy 92.

MARSHALLTOWN (366) — Harper Wilson 86, Morgan Hilderbrand 89, Emma Clawson 93, Avery Polley 98, Hanna Osgood 106, Kamryn Price 132.

WAUKEE (376) — Gretta Secory 88, Bailey Cox 95, Bailey Goldsmith 95, Ingrid Secory 98, Makenna Parsons 101, Maria Martinez 107.

AMES (379) — Van Hauen 86, Zoey Johnson 88, Jessie Lohman 92, Finley Hargrafen 113, Araya Anderson 121, Addison Downs 165.

DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES (384) — Moberg 85, Greer Kleis 96, Audrey Dickerson 101, Madison Holste 102, Elana Hamp 102, Rilyn Cunningham 107.

ANKENY CENTENNIAL (386) — Cate Trewet 91, Maddy Gochoel 95, Gretta Borich 99, Madi Trosper 101, Isla Corron 104, Teagan Skinner 106.

GRUNDY CENTER (391) — Macey Kiewiet 91, Reagan Pekarek 93, Ady VanZuuk 103, Riley Whitehill 104, Tess Dirks 106, Trinity Jirovsky 115.

OTTUMWA (394) — Macie VandenBurg 95, Bradlie McWilliams 98, Brynn Small 100, Lori Reynolds 101, Reese Thompson 103, Delana Rainbolt 127.

BCLUW (394) — Leah McEwen 92, Jaya Beeghly 95, Gracie Andrews 101, Ainsley Geerhart 106, Parker Bergman 137, Olivia Rolston 145.

NEVADA (404) — Addison Lawler 95, Isabella Sigala 97, Lily Quandt 99, Grace Hensley 113, Chloe Koch 120.

NEWTON (419) — Ratcliff 85, Sloan Brodersen 108, Mary Ham 109, Teeah Yoder 117, Molly Meyer 127, Sophia Maharry 131.

MASON CITY (520) — Bliar Smith 117, Leighton Schutz 128, Mady Chose 137, Aubrey Lingbeek 138, Mathea Lerdal 146.