Golf

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis will play in the Delta League beginning this fall with many familiar faces and several new ones.

“The Delta League has a lot of history and it is great it is back in existence,” said Delta League Commissioner Ron Nocetti.

The Troubadours move into the newly formed Delta League along with Pleasant Grove and Sheldon from the Delta River League. The league is a realignment of members of both the Delta River and Delta Valley Leagues.

• St. Francis finished eighth at the NCGA/CIF Girls Nor Cal Championship. The Troubadours advanced with a third-place finish at Masters.
• Head Coach Cindy Mah-Lyford was named the Northern California Girls’ Golf Coach of the Year by the California Coaches’ Association.
• Senior Ileana MacDonald shot a team-best six-over par 78 to lead St. Francis to the Sac-Joaquin Division I North Section title for the eighth consecutive season at Rocklin Golf Club.
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SACRAMENTO, – Calif.  – Seventeen St. Francis Troubadours have been named to the 2013-14 River Cats All-City  teams and will be recognized on Sunday at the High School Sports Awards Ceremony before the River Cats take on the Tacoma Rainiers at 1:05 p.m. at Raley Field.

The St. Francis All-City fall sports selections include senior golfer Emily Laskin, volleyball seniors Ali Koumelis and Anna Baytosh and cross country runners Lauren LaRocco, Madison Rawson and Miranda Myers.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The SFHS Booster Club recognized four senior student-athletes at the 2014 Awards Ceremony.

Senior Lauren LaRocco was named the SFHS Booster Club Scholar-Athlete Scholarship recipient, while Brinnley Barthels, Emily Laskin and Jane Sadler were named winners of the SFHS Booster Club Leadership Scholarship.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Victoria Vardanega will play golf for Pomona-Pitzer next fall and attend Pomona College. She is one of 32 Troubadours to sign to play collegiate athletics with their schools next fall.

“My freshmen year I barely made the varsity team,” recalled Vardanega. “It really motivated me to try harder. Seeing all the great players and having them above me, I played more over the summer, took serious lessons and practiced more. To be able to be rewarded for my hard work and play collegiate golf is such a blessing.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis golfer Ileana MacDonald has verbally committed to play golf at Chico State next fall.

“I am so excited,” said MacDonald. “I was sold on Chico when I went to visit the campus. It is a beautiful school.”

MacDonald is one of 25 Troubadours who have made commitments or signed during the previous National Letter of Intent signing periods to continue their athletic careers next year at the collegiate level.

“I got a chance to play with the team for a few holes,” said MacDonald. “I really meshed perfectly with them and the coach.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Bumps and bruises are her specialty but Kelly Ketcham brings much more to the St. Francis High School community.

Ketcham was named the Assistant AD for Sports Medicine for the St. Francis Athletics Department staff recently after working with the Troubadour student-athletes and teams as the school’s athletic trainer for the last four years. The title was effective in November 2013.

RIPON, Calif. – The St. Francis golf team shot a 455 team score and missed advancing to the state championships Monday at the NCGA/CIF Girls Nor Cal Championship held at Spring Creek CC.

“I am really proud of the team for reaching Nor Cals,” said Head Coach Cindy Mah-Lyford. “It is not the ultimate goal but it is still a very elite competition.”

St. Francis finished eighth overall but were just 11 shots off the top-three finish needed to advance to the state championships for the second straight year.