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All-News4Jax girls golf: Bartram Trail’s Kondal leads the way in 2020

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Elizabeth Kondal spent her time like most high school athletes during the pandemic.

Practicing. Practicing. Practicing.

The Bartram Trail senior and All-News4Jax girls golfer of the year had no idea last spring what high school sports would look like in the fall. So, Kondal put in the work off the course to be prepared for when she returned to it.

The coronavirus limited actual junior tournaments during the spring and summer, but not Kondal’s practice time. She used the unusual break from the norm to refine parts of her game that wouldn’t have gotten the same amount of attention during a typical offseason.

“It was giving me the opportunity to work on my swing without the stress of an upcoming tournament,” Kondal said. “So, I got my swing into a really good position. So, I think that going into the high school season I just had a lot of practice under my belt, so I felt really confident. It was just up to whether I was going to have a high school season.”

The high school season came, albeit slightly delayed. When it started, Kondal picked up where she left off and finished even stronger.

She built off of a stellar junior season with an even better final year. Kondal won the district and the conference tournaments for the second year in a row. At state, her finish was even better than her tie for 10th in 2019.

How did it end? Only in one of the best possible ways.

“I had missed the green and I was chipping and I chipped in for birdie and it was just amazing,” Kondal said. “Like that was the ideal situation to end my high school season. It was so exciting, so shocking to me. I didn’t realize my season was going to end on such a high note.”

First team

Name, High school, Class

Alexandra Gazzoli, Matanzas, Fr.

Why she’s here: Exceptional first season for Gazzoli. Third in Class 2A state tournament with a 6-over 150. Won district by 12 strokes. Tied for 4th at region with a 5-over 77.

Ashley Huffman, Ponte Vedra, Sr.

Why she’s here: District champ with a 3-under 69, T-2 at region along with teammate Jordan Barnett with 3-over 75. Tied for 18th at 2A state meet with a 16-over 160.

Elizabeth Kondal, Bartram Trail, Sr.

Why she’s here: All-News4Jax girls golfer of the year. Two-time first-team selection. Carded rounds of 70-72 in the Class 3A state tournament to finish state runner-up. District champ with a 70. Region runner-up with a 71.

Tori Mouton, Bolles, Jr.

Why she’s here: State runner-up in Class 1A with a 5-under 139. Tied for region champ with a 3-over 75. Third in district at 6-over 78. Was a second-team All-News4Jax pick last season.

Anika Richards, Fernandina Beach, Jr.

Why she’s here: T-5 at state with an even-par 144. Finished 3rd in region with a 6-over 78. Region champ with 2-over 74. A second-team All-News4Jax selection in 2019.

Second team

Daisy Adams, Fernandina Beach, Jr.: T-48 at state with 20-over 164. Sixth at district with a 14-over 86. Tied for 10th in regionals.

Madelyn Campbell, Fernandina Beach, Jr.: T-31 at state with 11-over 155. Tied for region champ with a 3-over 75. Took 10th in district with a 16-over 88.

Marissa Cardenas, Nease, Sr.: Finished 13-over 157 and T-29 at state. Took T-12 in region with a 3-over 75. District runner-up with a 73.

Camille Jackson, Keystone Heights, Sr.: T-20 at state with 6-over 150. Fourth at region with a 7-over 79. District champ with an even-par 72.

Keira Johnson, St. Augustine, Fr.: District runner-up at 4-over 76. T-4 at region with a 5-over 77. Finished T-23 at 2A state tournament.

Honorable mention

Shanya Arasu, Nease, So.

Thanya Arasu, Nease, Sr.

Madison Balaskiewicz, Bolles, So.

Nancy Cox, Ponte Vedra,

Kenzie Heba, Bartram Trail, Sr.

Maddie Rathjen, Bartram Trail, Fr.

Helena Rios, Bartram Trail

Ashlan Tresca, Ponte Vedra, Sr.


About the Author
Justin Barney headshot

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.