Highlanders’ golf one step closer to championship three-peat

ROCHESTER HILLS — Almost two years ago to the date, Rochester Adams was holding onto a 15-stroke lead over Brighton as it headed into the final round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 state finals.

This wasn’t familiar territory for a Highlanders team that had only earned runner-up twice, in 1999 and 2020, in the school’s history and had yet to hoist the championship trophy.

Adams’ veteran leaders of Laura Liu, Katie Fodale, Grace Wang and Olivia Dance would put on a clinic on day two, increasing the margin to 47 strokes as Adams would capture its first state title in school history with sophomore Alexa Camargo and freshman Hannah Wang, Grace’s younger sister, also shooting a round each in the finals.

Now two-time defending state champions and primed for a shot at another state title after qualifying for states, the once underclassmen duo of Camargo and Wang, now both team captains, are the veterans hoping to lead the Highlanders back to the top of the podium.

“I remember my freshman year and looking at our captain (Alyssa Fodale) thinking she was so good and she was so cool and so old compared to me, and just so mature,” Camargo said. “Now, I’m in that spot. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago when I was looking up to them as a freshman. Now I’m the one talking to these freshmen and helping them figure out their place, not only on the golf team but at Adams as well.”

If adding a third state championship win wasn’t enough for the Kalamazoo College commit, Camargo is a season removed from missing out on regionals and Adams’ state win in 2023 due to injury.

Camargo said she suffered from an injury similar to sciatica where she’d have pain in her lower back and hips that would shoot down her legs, making it nearly impossible to complete her swing pain-free. Once she felt 100 percent by the summer — courtesy of physical therapy and her workout routine, primarily legs and core, at the gym — Camargo said her sights were set on making up for lost time.

“It was a hard time because I wanted to be there and do everything I could for my team, but it’s definitely hard to do that while you’re injured,” Camargo said. “It really made me realize that I have to do everything I can to get over this injury and get back to where I needed to be so we could be successful this year.”

For Wang, it’s just continuing her already stellar Highlanders golf career, racking up dual-meet wins, tournament wins, and taking the individual regional championship Oct. 7 at Prestwick Village Golf Club with an 81.

The third-year varsity star also took third overall at the Oakland County Championship and helped lead Adams to a win at the Oakland Activities Association Red/White Tournament Oct. 2 at Fieldstone Golf Club.

Wang, like every varsity golfer at Adams, has had the luxury of watching elite-level golf from her upperclassmen teammates, especially her older sister Grace.

Adams head coach Jeff Kutschman said it’s difficult to spot a weakness in her game, as she’s only a junior and standing as one of the top golfers in Oakland County, and possibly Division 1 golf.

“It’s so hard to say with Hannah (Wang) because she does everything so well now,” Kutschman said. “With Hannah, it’s that she put in time. She put in time working on everything. She’s either playing in a tournament or working at the range or on the green every day over the summer time. Just like her older sister Grace, who’s playing at the University of Michigan now, Hannah knows how to put in the time and knows how to work and be disciplined. She can still be a goofy high schooler, but when it’s time to work on the golf course she just knows how to be laser-focused on what she’s doing.”

Camargo isn’t the only senior recovering from injury as Peyton Sage is still not 100 percent but is giving the Highlanders everything she has in her final season.

Sage played a vital role for Adams in 2022, helping Adams win the league and regionals while also competing in the 2023 state finals, finishing 58th out of 108 golfers.

The three-year varsity golfer suffered a knee injury the summer before junior year and is still fighting through it, but said her past, senior leaders served as one of the many motivations for her to power through it and fill the veteran role.

“They were all willing to step in and help everyone out no matter what the circumstance was,” Sage said. “I’ve learned just how important it is to be connected with the team and how important it is to be welcoming to everyone, because I know it can be hard being on a new team, so I knew I just had to be there for everyone and be a helping hand.”

Adams has four freshmen on the squad this year, most in developmental, but freshman Saisha Dhawan has made an impact early as the fifth scorer for Adams at regionals, finishing 23rd out of 60 golfers with a 99.

Regardless of where they stand on the starting lineup, Sage said the newcomers bring a different energy to the team.

“All the new girls are such a big aspect of the team and definitely make being a part of the team so much fun,” Sage said. “They are all so much fun to be around, and everyone is out there for everyone.”

The unsung hero at regionals was none other than junior Brianna Park, who shot a 90 and finished 8th. Park, a three-year varsity golfer, typically sat in the 95-105 area in 2023 but has significantly improved to being a golfer Adams can rely on to consistently provide scores in the high 80s to low 90s.

With Park’s consistency and the slew of talent in Kutschman’s starting lineup, Adams will be a tough team to dethrone when the MHSAA Division 1 state finals tees off Oct. 18 at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course.

The Highlanders will be without three of their five state finals golfers from last season, but retooling is nothing new to a program that’s quickly established itself as one of the top programs in the state.

The “Ragg Rats,” as they call themselves as a shortened version of Rochester Adams Girls Golf and the popular television show Rugrats, are motivated to continue the state finals streak.

“For a while we had our profile picture with all the characters from Rugrats, but with all the girls on our team’s faces on them,” Sage said.

Adams will likely be challenged by fellow OAA teams Rochester and Clarkston, who battled it out in the OAA Red all year with Clarkston notching the latest victory over Adams at regionals as Clarkston took first by 19 strokes over second place Adams.

Other teams such as Brighton, Rockford and Northville will likely be in the mix as well, but Sage said Adams is the kind of team that thrives when the pressure is on.

“We are built for October, and we’re just doing that right now,” Sage said.