Both the boys and girls golf teams from Prairie City-Monroe have had strong starts to their seasons, and those starts were validated with the release of the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association’s first rankings on Wednesday.
The Mustang boys are ranked No. 1 overall in Class 2A at 22-0, while the girls start out at No. 4 in Class 3A with a record of 31-1.
Not surprisingly leading the way for the boys in the rankings is senior Hunter Van Veen, who is holding down the No. 1 individual spot in 2A. Van Veen’s current adjusted gross score is 36.98, which just narrowly edges out Jesup’s Travis Youngblut. Joining Van Veen in the top 10 is junior Devon Woody, who is currently eighth. Also in the top individual rankings for the Mustang boys are junior Justin Beener (No. 15) and junior Ryan Jennings (No. 25).
The Mustang girls have multiple players lead the way in any given meet so far this season, and that reflects in their individual rankings. Maddie Peters has the team’s highest spot at No. 20, while Rachel Phifer and Cassidy Van Veen come in at Nos. 23 and 24, respectively. If those three weren’t close enough, Taylor Phifer comes in at No. 30, while Hannah Hugen is 33rd and Kelsey Van Veen is No. 35.
After being on the road for the past few meets, both teams will enjoy the home comforts of Gateway Recreation next week. The boys will host six teams in the Mustang Invitational on Monday, while the girls will host nine teams on Thursday.