Photos by Jake McNeill: Left: Dawson-Boyd’s Alyssa Swedzinski drives from the tee box on hole 3 of the Marshall Golf Club at the Marshall Class A Girls Invitational on Tuesday afternoon. Right: Lindsey Lund putts on the sixth green at Marshall Golf Club. The Dawson-Boyd duo each shot an 80 at the Marshall Class A Girls Invite to tie for 2nd place out of 47 golfers.

MARSHALL — Lindsey Lund and Alyssa Swedzinski tied for second place out of 47 golfers in the field at the Marshall Class A Girls Invitational on Tuesday afternoon. The Dawson-Boyd dynamic duo led the Blackjacks to a first-place finish at the event, beating out runner-up Lac qui Parle Valley by 10 strokes.

“I think as a team, we’ve gotten into a good grove,” Swedzinski said, adding that she feels that the team is already starting to improve since its first 18-hole round a few weeks ago.

“I think as a team, we don’t really have high expectations. We’re just going out, playing, and we can do what we can do,” Lund added. She also said that she felt the consistent windy conditions the Blackjacks faced early in the season have helped the team grow.

Lund and Swedzinski each shot an 8-over 80 on the day to tie as the event runners-up. Only Redwood Valley senior Mila Jenniges finished ahead of the junior and sophomore duo, with Jenniges shooting a 4-over 76 on the day.

Swedzinski started her day off with five consecutive pars. After going 2-over on hole 17, came back with a birdie on hole 18 and another two birdies on holes 2 and 3.

“I felt confident over the ball, rolled some pretty good putts and struck my irons pretty pure, so that helped me score pretty well,” Swedzinski said. 

Lund went over par just twice on the front nine while also converting a birdie opportunity on hole 7. She said that she felt there were some shots on the day that she wished she had back, but overall was satisfied with her performance on the day.

Kyler Hjelmeland was the Blackjacks’ No. 3 golfer, shooting a 93 to place 11th overall, while eighth grader Claire Stratmoen rounded out the Dawson-Boyd scorers with a 103 to place 21st. 

As a team, Dawson-Boyd shot a 356 to beat out runner-up Lac qui Parle Valley. Marshall placed third at 371 while Redwood Valley placed fourth at 388.

Marshall’s score was a 30-stroke improvement from its last 18-hole round on Saturday when it hosted Minnewaska Area. The difference can in part be attributed to wind conditions, but with Tuesday also being a fairly windy day, the improvement can also be attributed to the players’ growth.

“They played better on the back nine, it seemed like, so that’s a good indication that they’re not mentally exhausted and physically exhausted,” Marshall head coach Nancy Blanchard said. “Another not great day to play, but not bad. We’re getting there… Just have to clean up a few things, but really can’t be prouder than what we are with this team.”

Dayton Webskowski once again led the Marshall girls with a 10-over 82 to place fourth overall. She had her first competitive 9-hole round below 40 on Monday in Marshall’s Big South Conference opener and nearly did it again on Tuesday with a 40 on the back nine. She carded three pars and a pair of birdies in her final 7 holes.

“The weather was nicer today so that helped,” Webskowski said. “I just made sure to stay focused on the shot I’m on and not worry about the bad ones.”

Grace Rokeh put together another round in the 80s for the Tigers, shooting an 89 to tie Murray County Central’s Ava Johnson for ninth. 

Blanchard said that the Tigers were loaded with personal-best scores on the day, with Webskowski, Rokeh and senior Rylee Jacobson all setting new low scores.

Jacobson tied Hjelmeland and Redwood Valley’s Taylor Klabunde for 11th with a 93 on the day. After shooting a 53 on the front nine a day prior, Jacobson had a bounce-back performance with a 45 on the front nine and a 48 on the back nine.

“I just took it hole-by-hole, knowing that whatever score I shoot doesn’t define who I am as a person,” Jacobson said of her performance.

Ali Pederson rounded out the Marshall scorers in 23rd, shooting a 107 on the day. The Marshall junior struggled on the front nine with a 58 but didn’t let it get to her, finishing strong with a 49 on the back nine.

The Tigers fell shy of topping Redwood Valley by 5 strokes in Monday’s Big South Conference meet, but the Tigers got the job done on Tuesday to best their conference foe.

“Overall, super pleased with how we’re getting those scores to bunch up,” Blanchard said. “I think that’s just a testament to these girls working hard and… just getting out and playing.”

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton placed fifth as a team in the meat with a 391, edging past Murray County Central by five strokes. Leading the way for the Knights was Shae O’Leary, who carded an 85 to place fifth in the event. 

“Definitely my drive and my chipping were a lot better today, and I could get up and down on the green with two putts, which usually I don’t do the best at but today they were falling,” O’Leary said. 

The senior Knight tended to play at a fast pace, not taking much time standing in front of the ball before swinging the club.

“The more I think about it, the worse I do. So I just take one practice swing and then I go up and hit the ball. That’s what works for me,” O’Leary said.

Jenna Gossen and Teigyn O’Leary each shot a 100 on the day to tie for 18th in the meet while eighth grader Leah Norgaard rounded out the Knights’ scorers with a 106 to place 22nd.

Rachel Huso had the low score on the day for Murray County Central, placing 7th with an 88. Lauren Larson and Lizzie Daniels were the Rebels’ No. 3 and 4 scorers with Larson carding a 209 to place 24th and Daniels scoring a 110 to place 26th.

The Marshall Tigers will next compete on Friday when they host Worthington in a dual at 4:15 p.m. The meet will mark the Tigers’ fourth home tournament since they opened the competition on Saturday.

“It’s easy when you come out and play practice rounds that, if the putts don’t mean much or the chips don’t mean much, to kind of just go, ‘oh shoot, it didn’t work out,'” Blanchard said. “But when there’s competition involved, it helps. When the putts matter and the more you kind of get into that mode, you kind of get used to that type of competition and concentration.”

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and Murray County Central will travel to Sanborn to take on Red Rock Central on Thursday at 2 p.m. while Dawson-Boyd will head to Ortonville Golf Course for its next meet on Monday at 10:30 a.m.