Breaking Through Together: Marauders’ Nugent, Johnson achieve their goal, advance to golf state

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Mt. Vernon’s Alaina Nugent watches her tee shot on the 16th hole during the Lapel Regional at The Edge Golf Course & Country Club in Anderson on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. (Rob Baker/Daily Reporter)

ANDERSON — Balance.

A relatively simple concept to comprehend from the outside looking in, but not so much when the pressure mounts on the golf course.

On Saturday during the Lapel Girls Golf Regional Tournament at The Edge in Anderson, both Mt. Vernon seniors Alaina Nugent and Meredith Johnson each faced their own internal struggles.

At least, they did until they rediscovered their quiet serenity late.

Though, it required a steadfast perseverance in the most stressful of moments to breakthrough.

“I was in a mental breakdown. I was scared. This was my goal (reaching state). How could I just let that go so easily, so quickly?,” Nugent said.

Through nine holes, neither could find with their games initially as they contended with not only wet course conditions but some bad luck.

Mt. Vernon Meredith Johnson(r) and head coach Mike Miner talk while waiting to tee off on the 18th hole during the Lapel Girls Regional at The Edge Golf Course & Country Club in Anderson on Saturday September 25,2021.(Rob Baker/Daily Reporter)
Mt. Vernon Meredith Johnson(r) and head coach Mike Miner talk while waiting to tee off on the 18th hole during the Lapel Girls Regional at The Edge Golf Course & Country Club in Anderson on Saturday September 25,2021.(Rob Baker/Daily Reporter)

Johnson started out 7-over-par 41 as the golf course’s soggy terrain resulted in three double-bogey mishaps and only one par.

Nugent, who had earned medalist honors in nearly every major tournament this season, had a string of four consecutive bogeys to shoot a 6-over-par 40 on the front nine and 6-over-par 42 on the back with six bogeys.

“My front nine was rough. It was still a little wet out here from the rain the past few days. My front nine, I was hoping to shoot in the 30s, but I was happy to get two birdies. I birdied nine and four,” Johnson said. “Back nine, I shot 39. I was very consistent, so I was really thrilled about that.”

Johnson’s redemption began unfolding on the turn as she found a rhythm with six pars on the final nine holes to finish 10-over-par 80, which secured an IHSAA state-finals berth as the second-best individual to advance without a team.

The Marauders shot a 349 as a team for fourth overall, behind regional champion Noblesville (313), Hamilton Southeastern (315) and Batesville (331).

With the top-three teams and top-five individuals without an advancing team moving on to state at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel this week, Johnson and Nugent had to nail down their invites by themselves.

Seven crucial pars saved Johnson’s day as she breathed a sigh of relief once the final scores rolled in.

Then, her heart sank while Nugent’s accelerated.

Nugent’s 12-over-par 82 tied her with Heritage Christian’s Ellie McDonald and Fishers’ Lilly McVay for the fifth and final individual-qualifying spot.

“As soon as I heard I was in a playoff hole, I told myself, ‘I’m not letting this go. It’s mine. I’m getting it,'” Nugent said.

“I had to put confidence in myself. I had so much stress on myself to do well throughout the entire round before (the playoff), and I was so worried about doing well, and I didn’t have enough confidence in myself.”

With a gold cross dangling from a gold chain around her neck that her older brother, Maxwell, gifted her for good luck, Nugent received some comforting words from her father, Shawn, before writing her finale.

“He told me not to be too aggressive. I was really aggressive on that last hole, which caused me to have a bogey, which caused me to be in the playoff,” Nugent said. “He told me, just basic golf. Get on the green, two-putt and get out. Just do what you have to do to get it.

“I was like, ‘OK. Do this for you. Don’t do this for anybody else. This is for you. This is your one shot. Do it.'”

Before the playoff, Nugent parred three of her four final holes before ending the 18th with a bogey. At the start of the day, she parred the course’s first hole and bogeyed the second.

Leading off the three-way playoff’s first hole, she returned full circle, and instead of dwelling on the recent past, she hit reset.

“I could not do it. Absolutely, not do it. If I had the pressure, I would crumble,” Johnson remarked on watching Nugent during the tiebreaker. “She stayed really steady and it was really exciting to see.”

Nugent parred the first hole, tying with McDonald while McVay bogeyed to fall out of the race.

On the second hole, Nugent crushed the ball off the tee and successfully chipped onto the green to put herself in prime position to win.

“I already beat Ellie (in the past), so that’s going to be a close one, and Lilly, I’ve beat all summer, so I was confident. It was just hitting your greens in regulations and two putts,” Nugent said.

“I knew once I hit my green regulations, I was like, ‘I’m two-putting. No matter what, I’m two-putting.’ The last par putt even, I was like, I’m just knocking it into the back of the hole. Confidence. Good stroke and putt it in to win.”

On the green with a par-putt ahead of her, Nugent waited as McDonald missed her opportunity at par, leaving fate in the Marauders’ team captain’s hands.

“My heart rate was getting really, really high, but I was like, ‘You know what? Even if I don’t hit this, there will still be another hole, and I can still redeem myself, but I thought, just hit it,'” Nugent said.

As the ball dropped into the cup, the gallery’s applause rose while Nugent traded her stoic stare for a broad smile.

A respectful hug with McDonald on the green was soon followed by Nugent’s outward elation, once she caught a glimpse of Johnson nearby.

“We’re going to state!,” Nugent shouted as the two embraced.

“We’ve played together since sixth grade, so this is a big deal. We’ve dreamed of this, so finally making it our senior year is especially special. It’s bittersweet,” Johnson said.

“We’ve been the dynamic duo since forever and to finally have the both of us accomplish our goal since we were little sixth-graders who hit the ball two feet every time is absolutely amazing,” Nugent added.

Their feat marks the first time Mt. Vernon will be represented at the girls state finals since Charlie True advanced as an individual in 2016.

While the team didn’t reach state, its season-long improvements and achievements were stepping stones to the duo’s accomplishments at regional.

At last year’s regional, Mt. Vernon finished 375 for ninth overall with Nugent shooting an 81 and Johnson carding a 91.

Collectively, the Marauders won the Hancock County, Hoosier Heritage Conference and sectional team championships this year. At regional, they edged past Lapel (350) for fourth, as a team.

“Our goal all season was, if we can break 350 at regional, then we have a shot. We were 18 strokes off. That’s one stroke a hole. It’s still a lot but we’re so proud of ourselves and it was a team,” Johnson said.

“It wasn’t just one person. Knowing that we had a chance and we came in fourth overall; we’ve built this program and could not be happier. We’re just glad to put Mt. Vernon’s name out there.”

Senior Mackenzie Miner fired a 93 for Mt. Vernon. Sophie Amegnigan added a 94, and Isabel VanHeel shot a 94.

Greenfield-Central was 11th at 393 led by Sydney Wherry’s 87 and Katie Curry’s 96. New Palestine was 14th at 408 with Zoe Nelson posting a 97.

The season continues for Nugent and Johnson this Friday morning during the state finals’ opening round at Prairie View with the second day set for Saturday.

“It’s special and it was almost gut-wrenching there for a minute with Alaina not thinking she was going to make it because she’s worked so stinking hard,” Mt. Vernon head coach Mike Miner said. “I’m not saying this to brag, but I just think she’s one of the better players, and she just had a tough time on a few holes, and it cost her. I’m just glad she got a second chance. She deserves it.”