Waterloo’s Haley Faus finished her senior golf season with a medal, placing sixth at the IHSA Class A State Golf Tournament this past Saturday.

“I was extremely happy,” Faus said. “I got 16th last year, so to move up 10 spots was tremendous. I also medaled, which was my goal at the beginning of the year. I was happy with my performance.”

After both rounds of play, Faus finished with a 159, or 15 over par. There were 103 total golfers. At last year’s state tournament, she finished with a 164 in a four-way tie for 16th place. Both were 36-hole tournaments.

“She did fantastic,” Waterloo golf coach Dan Umscheid said. “She was very steady on both Friday and Saturday during the cold and windy conditions. It was tough and Haley stayed strong. She got the score that she deserved.”

Faus’ performance at state was indicative of how well she had been playing all year.

“She continued to be the premier player of the Monroe County area,” Umscheid said. “She fought through back injuries at the beginning of the season. She was healed at the end of the year and her scores showed it, along with her performances at the state series tournaments. She medaled in each of those tournaments.”

At sectionals, Faus shot an 81 during the 18-hole tournament for fourth place as an individual. At regionals, she finished with a 75 and a second-place medal.

Although she has found success on the golf course, she said she will miss the camaraderie of the team the most.

“I think the most enjoyable moments are the van rides with my teammates,” Faus said. “There were always lots of jokes and fun. There was a friendly atmosphere for high school golf.”

Faus said she would like to play college golf. She hasn’t signed anywhere yet, but really likes Florida Southern.

“She’s going to be missed as a player,” Umscheid said. “Her character is one-of-a-kind and her skill sets are beyond many others. Hopefully, she motivates the others to be better.”

Heet golfs at state
Gibault sophomore Zach Heet made it to the IHSA Class 1A State Golf Tournament for the boys.

In his first state tournament, he placed 73rd out of 108 golfers. He finished with a 181.