ANDERSON, Ind - When Wapahani senior girls’ golfer Delaney Dodd stepped off of the No.18 green at Edgewood Golf Course, it was a bittersweet moment for the Raider.

“It’s special that I got to do this for four years,” she said. “It was awesome.”

The 2024 Raiders became the first Wapahani girls golf roster to win a Delaware County and a sectional championship. To head coach Brad Miller, none of it could have been possible without his lone senior.

“From start to finish, she’s been the leader on and off the course,” Miller said. “Every match, she was someone we could count on and look up to. That type of senior leadership has propelled us to where we are.”

The Lapel Regional was the site where the 2024 Delaware County girls’ golf season came to a close as Yorktown (381), Wapahani (389) and Delta (423) all ended their campaigns.

Inclement weather delayed yesterday's tournament for an hour, but after the event was completed, Delta senior Avery Stinson led the area scores with an 88. Wapahani junior Kenzie Brannon, Yorktown junior Grace Turner and Yorktown sophomore Alysse Taylor all followed with 89’s.

To Yorktown head coach Nathan McClung, the Tigers’ growth throughout the year is something the green and black can use for future motivation.

“We had a great year because it’s a great group of girls,” McClung said. “It’s been fun to watch them develop, bond and jel. They are one of the most enjoyable groups, boys or girls, that we have had in 10 years.

“We have them all back… and they are young. We outplayed a lot of area teams. Our second nine scores were good and all of them hung in there.”

Like Yorktown, the Raiders also have a young core who will return to the course in 2025. Junior – and the Muncie Central Sectional individual champion – Kenzie Brannon will headline the team. According to her, this season was what the Raiders needed in order to see their potential.

“It sets a standard,” Brannon said. “I’m hungry for more wins and I’m ready to keep going.”

But just like her head coach, Brannon couldn’t go without recognizing the importance of Dodd’s leadership.

“She’s super important to me,” Brannon said. “I appreciate her and the patience she's had in us and I’m going to miss her next year.”

Dodd plans on going to college and studying something in the medical field. She would also like to continue playing golf at the next level. While those plans are for the future, there is one thing she knows right now: how much the Wapahani community supports her.

“[We knew] that the whole community knew how well we were doing,” she said. “Each day, we’d walk through the school and teachers would [acknowledge] our wins. It was nice to know that Wapahani had our back.”

Contact Zach Carter via email at Zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X via @ZachCarter85.

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