Cyclone senior Keast qualifies for state golf

 LE MARS -- Harlan Community senior golfer Ellen Keast saved the best round of her career for the perfect time last Monday (May 21), qualifying for state with a sixth-place round of 93 in the Class 3A Regional Final Tournament held at Le Mars’ Willow Creek Golf Course. The top two teams and top eight individuals advanced to the 3A Girls State Golf Tournament set for Tuesday-Wednesday, May 29-30, at Coldwater Links in Ames.
 Remarkable, Keast was the Cyclones’ number six golfer at the regional meet. Keast, who did not join the golf team until her sophomore year, shot consistent nine-hole scores of 46 and 47, scoring a six or better on 17 of 18 holes overall. She is Harlan’s first state qualifier - individual or team - in Willie Baughman’s five years as the Cyclone girls golf coach.
 “I am very very proud of (Ellen) and cannot say how rewarding this is for her,” Baughman said. “She came out her sophomore year and in her first meet ever shot a 92 on 9 holes. She shot a 93 on 18 holes as a senior! That is an incredible turnaround and I don’t think I will ever have anyone improve as much as she did in her three years.”
 As a team, HCHS placed fourth in the regional with a score of 398, trailing state qualifiers Carroll (374) and MOC-Floyd Valley (375) as well as third-place Humboldt (385). In addition to Keast’s round of 93, senior Lexie Holloway shot a 96 (two strokes away from qualifying for state), followed by Haley Manz (101), Jocelyn Cheek (108), Kayla Powers (111) and Delaney Kelly (118).