Slaten earns all-state honors

~ Notre Dame's senior standout finished tied for 13th in Class 3.

Notre Dame senior Brett Slaten knocked seven strokes off his first-round score to finish in the top 15 at the Class 3 state golf meet Tuesday.

Slaten shot a 75 at Fremont Hills Country Club to finish at 82-75--157 and in a four-way tie for 13th. He earned all-state honors by finishing in the top 15.

"I just made more putts," Slaten said about his round Tuesday. "I just hit better shots. The driving was good. The chipping went a lot better."

He said he approached his final round of high school golf with a laid-back attitude.

"I was just going out there to have more fun and just enjoy the last high school tournament," he said. "If I did good enough to be all-state, that was fine."

Slaten got better at the state meet each year, finishing tied for 113th as a freshman, tied for 56th as a sophomore and tied for 34th as a junior.

"I feel like I accomplished pretty much everything I wanted and even more," he said. "It just feels good."

Notre Dame finished 10th in the team standings with a 372-350--722. Warrensburg won the title with a 321-319--640.

Bulldogs freshman Jesse Schott tied for 77th with an 84-90--174. Sophomore Kurt Heischmidt dropped eight strokes to finish tied for 117th with a 101-93--194, while senior Joe Wiggans bettered his first-day score by 13 strokes to finish 122nd with a 105-92--197.

Central senior Tim Simmons dropped one shot off his first-round score at the Class 4 meet, held at Rivercut Golf Course. He finished tied for 19th with a 77-76--153.

Jackson sophomore Tanner Werner, who finished second last year, tied for 44th with a 78-81--159. Jackson freshman Drew Hosp dropped nine strokes to finish tied for 89th with an 88-79--167.

St. Vincent took fifth place in the Class 1 meet, held at Twin Oaks Country Club, with a 360-344--704. Greenwood captured the title with a 325-337--662.

Junior Brandon Trapp led the Indians by finishing tied for 23rd with an 87-83--170. Freshman Sean Martin recorded a 49th-place finish at 92-85--177. Right behind him were junior Ben Schremp in 51st with an 89-89--178 and sophomore Brett Wengert at 55th with a 92-87--179. Senior Cory Schaaf rounded out St. Vincent's golfers in 100th place with a 106-93--199.

Saxony Lutheran senior Tyler James improved his second-day score by seven shots to finish tied for 33rd with a 90-83--173. Sophomore Zach Vaeth tied for 42nd with an 86-89--175. Sophomore Nick Murphy rounded out the Crusaders' scores with a 100-115--215, good enough for 118th.