LEXINGTON — She shot her best score yet in three trips to the state tournament, but Lexington’s Mandy Ruminski still wasn’t satisfied.
The Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, Ruminski fired a two-day total of 144 at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course over the weekend, good for sixth place in her first foray into the Division I state tournament.
A junior, Ruminski qualified for state as a freshman and sophomore at Shelby before moving to Lexington. She shot a 153 in 2017 and carded a 148 last fall, good for third place overall at the Division II tournament.
Her 144 was good for a spot on the Division I All-Ohio second team. The top 10 finishers at the state tournament earn All-Ohio honors with the top five finishers landing a spot on the first team.
Still, Ruminski was dispirited afterward.
“I’ve been working really hard for this this year,” Ruminski said. “I was really hoping to do better than I did.
“It wasn’t a very good round for me.”
Ruminski was tied for second after the opening round, firing an even-par 70 Friday. She had a pair of double-bogeys Saturday, at the par-4 ninth and par-4 16th, but salvaged the round with birdies at No. 17 and No. 18.
““I broke down a little bit,” Ruminski said afterward. “The last two holes were OK. It was a good way to come back.”
While she played on the same course as each of her previous two state appearances, competing in the Division I field had a different feel for Ruminski.
“It’s just a lot more stressful, the thought of being at D1 versus D2,” Ruminski said. “Playing with New Albany girls and other higher-level girls made it a little more stressful.”
New Albany won the team title and broke its own state record in the process with a two-day total of 571 — 43 strokes better than runner-up Upper Arlington. New Albany’s Anna Ritter was the tournament medalist with a 2-under 138.
“The difference between Division I and Division II is in Division I there are more (great players),” Lexington coach Mike Kathrein said. “You don’t just have to beat one or two girls. There’s like a dozen good girls who can shoot those (low) scores.”
Lexington qualified for the Division I district tournament as a team, finishing fifth at Stone Ridge with a team total of 396. Lady Lex didn’t have any seniors on the roster this fall.
“We’ll have a lot more experienced players. A lot of people this year, it was their first time playing,” Ruminski said. “I think next year we can expect a lot more than this year.”
