The Tomah High School girls golf team couldn’t post a team score at Tuesday’s Tomah Invitational, but that didn’t prevent a Tomah individual from nudging toward the top.

Brianna Francis, a junior, shot an 18-hole score of 94 and was one of the top golfers at the nine-team meet. She was just two strokes away from a top-five finish.

“Brianna golfed a very good match,” Tomah coach Tonya Gnewikow said. “She was very close to winning a medal.”

Francis shot 47s on both the front and back nines.

Tomah’s only other varsity golfer was Shelby Hoeft, who got off to a slow start but finished strong to score 100. She shot 53 on the front nine before firing a 47 over the final nine holes.

“Shelby ran into some water at different places, and that definitely affected her score,” Gnewikow said.

Gnewikow got an encouraging round from Chelsea Gabower, a beginning golfer who played 18 holes for the first time. Gabower’s score was 137 in the jayvee meet.

“For the first 18 she has ever done, that’s pretty good,” Gnewikow said. “In just one week, she has improved tremendously.”

Stanley-Boyd won the match by 14 strokes. Team scores:

Stanley-Boyd 379, La Crosse Central/La Crosse Logan 393, Wisconsin Rapids 395, Neillsville 404, Marshfield 411, Stevens Point 447, La Crosse Aquinas 504, Holmen junior varsity 524, Tomah incomplete.

The top five individuals:

Cassandra Marschall, Marshfield, 83.

Stephanie Wirth, Stanley Boyd, 84.

Hayley Grunewald, Stanley Boyd, 88.

Kayla Johnson, Wisconsin Rapids, 90.

Kathryn Terry, La Crosse Central/La Crosse Logan, 92.

Another pleasant surprise emerged Wednesday during first half of the Wisconsin Dells Invitational at Christmas Mountain, when Tomah freshman Megan McGinnis shot a 121 in her varsity debut. McGinnis missed most of the Tomah meet due to freshman orientation.

“As an incoming freshman, that’s a pretty good number to start, especially for someone new to the sport,” Gnewikow said.

Hoeft led Tomah with a 98, and Francis scored a 105.

The Wisconsin Dells meet is held on consecutive days, but is conducted as two separate meets. The second 18-hole meet is today (Thursday) at Trapper’s Turn.