Oak Harbor senior Kate Waller and sophomore Camille Merritt fought through the wind and rain at Kayak Point Golf Course on Monday to each secure a place in next week’s 4A State Tournament being held at Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick.

Conditions at the second round of the Girls 4A Northwest Districts were much different than what they were at the first round held at Gallery Golf Course last week, but they didn’t seem to faze Waller. The senior, who finished in the top 20 at state last year, shot an 83 on Monday to take third place in the tourney.

The Wildcats finished in third place in the team standing with 94 points. Kamiak won the district title for the second consecutive year with 123 points, while Monroe was second with 97.

Waller’s combined score of 165 placed her two strokes behind Cascade’s Rachel Skidmore for second place. Shorewood’s Kim Shin ran away with first, shooting a 148 (72-76) in the two day event.

Merritt, who carded a 91 in the first round, was consistent with her score, shooting another 91 to earn her first trip to the state championship. She then won a playoff over two other girls to take eighth place. According to Oak Harbor head coach Scott McPhee, the sophomore struggled on the front-nine but knocked in two crucial pars on 16 and 18 to seal her berth.

“Camille had several impressive drives to set up those pars,” he said. “I’m proud of how the girls fought the elements and the pressure.”

Oak Harbor’s third team member to make it to the second round was not so fortunate. Senior Tiffany Gordon, who shot a 91 in the first round, struggled on Monday and finished three strokes out of a state berth.

The Wildcats picked up another award recently as well. The Oak Harbor girls golf team claimed the 4A academic championship with a combined GPA of 3.88. The award was determined by averaging the grade point average of the teams varsity members.

4A Northwest District Championships – Round 2

At Kayak Point Golf Course

18 holes, par-72

Team scores–Kamiak 123, Monroe 97, Oak Harbor 94, Lake Stevens 69.5, Snohomish 67, Edmonds-Woodway 65, Everett 62.5, Jackson 59.5, Cascade 59, Shorewood 57, Stanwood 44.5, Mount Vernon 28, Mountlake Terrace 2, Marysville-Pilchuck 1.

Individual scores–Shin (SW) 72-76-148; Skidmore (Cas) 80-83-163; Waller (OH) 82-83-165; Lee (Jack) 86-89-175; Simmons (Mon) 89-97-176; Casselman (Kam) 87-92-179; Natsume (Kam) 90-91-181; Merritt (OH) 91-91-182; Krebsbach (Kam) 89-93-182; Nishikawa (LS) 90-92-182; Otness (Ev) 91-94-185; Barnhart (E-W) 94-92-186; Dorn (Sno) 95-91-186; VanNortwick (MV) 95-91-186; Westerman (Mon) 94-95-198.