The 2023 All-Livingston County girls golf team probably looks familiar.
With only one exception, it’s the same first team as last year.
State Division 1 runner-up Brighton has five of the six first-team selections, with Lauren Forcier, Anelise Gatti, Maddy Martens and Abbie Pietila making return appearances. Pinckney’s Alivia Ligrow is also a repeat first-teamer.
The only change is Brighton junior Sydney Rauh replacing former teammate Amelia Gatti, who graduated.
In fact, four of the six first-teamers are making their third appearance. Forcier, Ligrow, Martens and Pietila were first-team picks in 2021. Forcier, Ligrow and Pietila made the second team as freshmen.
Lauren Forcier
► School: Brighton
► Class: Senior
► Accomplishments: Forcier averaged 80.0 for 18 holes and a county-low 36.8 for nine holes. Her low rounds were two 74s in tournaments and two 35s in duals. Forcier placed sixth at regionals with a 78. She tied for second with three teammates in the overall KLAA standings with a 150 for 36 holes. Forcier received all-state honorable mention.
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Anelise Gatti
► School: Brighton
► Class: Junior
► Accomplishments: Gatti averaged 83.4 for 18 holes and 42.0 for nine, her low tournament round being a 75, which she shot twice in the KLAA preseason and postseason tournaments. Those rounds helped her finish tied for second in the league with three teammates.
RELATED: Anelise Gatti’s putt allows Brighton to break major milestone
Alivia Ligrow
► School: Pinckney
► Class: Senior
► Accomplishments: Ligrow finished 15th in the state Division 3 tournament and is Pinckney’s first first-team all-stater since Courtney Jenkins in 2009. She was the regional champion, SEC White Player of the Year and won two invitationals. Ligrow averaged 81.5 for 18 holes and 40.6 for nine. She will play golf at Saginaw Valley State. “She will be irreplaceable as a player, as an individual, as a teammate, as a captain,” coach Chris Tompkins said. “She’s just everything you look for in a student-athlete.”
RELATED: Alivia Ligrow exhibiting leadership she was shown as freshman
Maddy Martens
► School: Brighton
► Class: Senior
► Accomplishments: Martens made first-team all-state after receiving honorable mention last year. She averaged a county-low 78.0 for 18 holes and 38.8 for nine. She matched her career-best score with a 74 in the final round of the state tournament, moving her to 12th in the final standings. She placed sixth at regionals with a 79. Martens shot in the 70s in 10 of 13 tournaments, shooting above 80 only once.
Abbie Pietila
► School: Brighton
► Class: Senior
► Accomplishments: Pietila made first-team all-state after having the best state finish by a county player this season, tying for eighth in Division 1 with rounds of 82 and 76. She tied for second at regionals with a 77. Pietila and Martens shot 74s in the final KLAA tournament to tie for first that day. Pietila averaged 78.2 for 18 holes and 40.0 for nine.
RELATED: It’s end of era for Pietila golf family
Sydney Rauh
► School: Brighton
► Class: Junior
► Accomplishments: Rauh was the No. 5 golfer in Brighton’s lineup, but would’ve played No. 1 for many teams. She averaged 84.0 for 18 holes and 42.0 for nine. Her low round was a 75 in the KLAA preseason tournament.
RELATED: No. 5 golfer’s lifetime best helps Brighton set Livingston County record
SECOND TEAM
Mary Carstensen, Howell, Sr.
Brooklyn Daniels, Hartland, Sr.
Mackenzie Jordan, Hartland, Sr.
Brooke Keller, Howell, Soph.
Elle Krill, Brighton, Soph.
Charlotte Morley, Brighton, Soph.
HONORABLE MENTION
Fowlerville: Raya Goulding (Sr.), Keira Mahon (Jr.). Hartland: Kate Frieling (Sr.). Pinckney: Maisie Angerman (Sr.), Katelyn Sanchez (Fr.).
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Meet the 2023 All-Livingston County girls golf team