The Lady Panthers pose with their trophy after winning the NLC Tournament title back on Sept. 8. They’ll open the IHSAA State Finals Friday. (File photos by James Costello)

NAPPANEE — NorthWood High School girls golf coach Adam Yoder knows every team is a little bit different than the last, and each seems to have its relative strengths and weaknesses. But if you were to look at the numbers, this year’s Lady Panthers golf team is simply the best.

And that’s saying something.

The Panthers have had a run of success under Yoder’s stewardship, but this year’s team has found ways not only to continue that winning tradition but to elevate it to new levels. They showed a glimpse of exactly how good they could be when they opened the year with a program-record 322 round at the Harrison Invitational in July. They clinched their seventh straight Northern Lakes Conference title — a feat unmatched by any other program in NorthWood history — with a seventh consecutive undefeated run through the conference round robin, culminating in a 50th straight NLC dual meet victory over Concord on Senior Night at McCormick Creek back in August, then took sole possession of the NLC crown with a championship turn at the league tournament on Sept. 8. The team finished off its dual meet season by beating both Penn and LaPorte during their last nine-hole round on Sept. 12 and opened the state tournament with the program’s third sectional championship at the Warsaw tourney two weeks ago. Then there was last week’s lights-out regional round at East Noble, where the Panthers shattered their own 18-hole record with a 309, capturing regional runner-up honors and a berth at this weekend’s state finals in the process.

No doubt, Yoder has coached some special teams during his tenure at the head of NorthWood girls golf, but the numbers don’t lie.

“The statistics say this is the best team we’ve ever had,” he said. “The championships they’ve won — we’ve never had a team that won the NLC outright, the sectional and then advanced to state. All of the other teams missed a step in there somewhere. This team has done all of that, so I don’t think you can argue that they’re the best team we’ve ever had. Every team is different, but this group has really grown together through their competitiveness.”

This particular group represents a mix of some strong holdovers and some phenomenal newcomers.

NorthWood seniors MacKenzie Weaver, left, and Abby Slabaugh, right, at the end of Slabaugh’s round at the Warsaw Sectional. The two holdovers have given this year’s team strong senior leadership.

Returning with the team in 2018 were seniors Abby Slabaugh, a four-year letter winner and two-year All-NLC pick, as well as MacKenzie Weaver, a four-year all-conference selection and both sectional runner-up and individual state finalist in 2017. Juniors Delaney Davis, Kirsten Schrock and Makenna and Kylee Gall, sophomore Abigail Richner and freshman Breanna Goss all put up some solid numbers throughout the season, with Davis and Schrock firing respective scores of 76 and 82 in the fourth and fifth spots in the lineup at last week’s regional tourney.

The team’s top nine all pushed each other for their places in the Panthers’ top five this season, and that competition helped make them all better.

“I’ve changed my lineup so much throughout the year, and I decided to ride this one starting with the NLC Tournament,” said Yoder after regional. “I wasn’t going to change it and I was going to be stubborn about it, but throughout the course of the year we’ve had so many girls pushing each other.”

While each and every one of the aforementioned golfers has pushed the program forward, one of the team’s newcomers has shown particular promise.

The younger sister of one of the program’s all-time best Summer Stillson, freshman Cybil Stillson collected her first tournament low medal just a week into the season, setting an individual program low of 70 at Chestnut Hills for the Canterbury Invitational title on Aug. 6, then won her second straight low medal with a 72 at the New Prairie Invite the very next day. Her 78 at the NLC Tournament netted Stillson the individual conference championship, and her 72 at Saturday’s East Noble Regional was good enough to garner her co-runner-up honors there.

Cybil Stillson hits a chip shot at the CGA Invitational earlier this year. Stillson has been a phenomenal addition to the team this season.

She’s been a standout addition to an already outstanding group, and the Lady Panthers have been happy to have her.

“The seniors now were freshmen when my sister was a senior, and I’ve always played with them,” explained Stillson. “Even in middle school I always went out with them and played, and they’ve just embraced me and taken me in. And they know that I’m a good aspect to the team.”

Each golfer has played her part in this season’s success, and, because he’s hoping to build for the future success of the program, Yoder plans to dig deeper into his lineup over the two rounds of state finals Friday and Saturday at Prairie View in Carmel.

“Our six and seven girls could easily have played in the top five. Our six and seven girls both have been qualifying for the six spot back and forth the last few weeks,” he said. “Both of them shot in the 80s (before sectional) at Stonehenge in their qualifying round. Both of them shot in the 80s (at regional) in their qualifying round. They’re itching to play. Kirsten Shrock and Delaney Davis are going to make me look like an idiot for only playing them one day down there, but I think everybody understands the big picture about getting ourself some experience.”

It’s been a record-setting season for NorthWood girls golf, and there’s only one more meet to go. The Panthers will open the state tournament a little before 9 a.m. Friday and will resume with the second round Saturday. At the tail end of a benchmark season, they’re looking to close on a fittingly high note.

“When we went to state our first year in 2013, that was let’s go have fun. We’re probably going to finish last. It was an upset for us to get there, but we’re going to have a blast,” recalled Yoder after regional. “In 2015, we felt like we should’ve been 13th and not 15th, and that was kind of disappointing. We didn’t put our best foot forward down there. This year these kids already know our goal is to finish somewhere between 10th and 12th. I think that would be realistic. We play out of our minds like (regional), then you’re talking top 10.

“The expectations in the program continue to grow.”

Adam Yoder talks over an approach shot with Delaney Davis during sectional two weeks ago.