April 21, 2026
The Cardinals literally re-wrote the school record book last week. At a conference quadrangular meet in Pleasantville on April 13, four records were broken or tied. Piper Koberg set a new girls’ 9-hole individual record when she carded 43, and the team set a new 9-hole record with 186. On the boys’ side, Blaine Vanderheiden’s 35 tied the Earlham 9-hole individual record, set by Tyler Hamilton in 2015, and the team’s 151 also tied the 9-hole mark.
The next day, Vanderheiden carded 69 in Woodward to set a new 18-hole school record.
On April 17, the Cardinal girls shot 373 at the Shenandoah Invitational to set a new school record for 18-hole team score. Savannah Charlet carded 86 to break the school record for 18-hole individual score.
Previous records
Girls
9-hole individual—45 by Dani Bagley in 2012.
18-hole girls’ individual—88 by Piper Koberg in 2025.
18-hole girls—388 in 2025.
Boys
18-hole individual—70 by Ryan Stiles in 2024.
Cards sweep at Pleasantville
On a warm, wind-whipped evening on April 13 the Cardinals won the boys’ meet and the girls were 2nd.
The boys faced stiff competition from the host Trojans, a good Class 2A team. A hot start by the Cardinals was critical in edging the Trojans by 5 strokes. Vanderheiden was 2-under after 3 holes, Will Harris was 1-under through 4, and Bishop Hammen was 1-over through 4.
“Getting off to that good of a start really helped us because we didn’t finish great,” said Coach Howard. “But it was enough to hold off a late charge from Pleasantville.”
The Cards finished with all four of their scoring golfers in the top 7. Vanderheiden won with his record-breaking 35, Harris was 3rd with 37, Konnar Stiles was 6th with 39, and Hammen was 7th with 40. The Trojans top 2 matched Vanderheiden’s and Harris’ scores, but their #3 and #4 golfers both had 42.
Woodward-Granger (161) was 3rd and Madrid (205) was 4th.
The Cardinal girls’ efforts weren’t quite enough to catch Woodward Granger, one of the top teams in class 2A, who shot a sizzling 177. But the Cardinals have been steadily improving in recent years and that progress might be culminating this season.
“I was proud of their ability to get around the course in an effective and smart way,” said Coach Howard. “I can tell that the girls are constantly learning and constantly getting better at course management.”
Koberg’s record-breaking 43 was good for 3rd individually. Londyn Mapes (47) was 4th, Olivia Nixt (47) was 5th and Savannah Charlet (49) rounded out the scoring.
The meet was held at Pleasantville Golf Club, a short (par 35) but still challenging course. The course is known for its narrow, tree-lined fairways, fast, well-manicured greens, mature trees, sand bunkers, and water hazards that come into play on several holes.
Cardinal boys win at Woodward
On April 14, the Cardinals won the 6-team meet with 309, which was the second-lowest team score in school history. Earlham beat 2nd-place Greene County by 15 strokes.
A near-perfect golf day got windy during the round, with gusts up to 35 mph. That didn’t bother Vanderheiden much, as he had an easy tap in on his 18th hole to break 70—as well as the school record. Fellow sophomore Harris was not far behind with 71. That ranks as the 3rd best individual 18-hole score for the Cardinals. Vanderheiden had 5 birdies on the day and Harris had 4.
Stiles (84) and Nixt (85) rounded out the scoring.
Woodward Golf Club is a short, par 35, 9-hole course. From the white tees, the course rating is 66.8 and the slope rating is 105-107.
Cardinal boys win in Anita again
The Cardinals stayed hot on April 16, winning the Dale Erickson Invitational for the second year in a row. Their team total of 304 was just 1 stroke off the team record of 303, set in 2023.
Harris led the way with 71, good for 2nd place individually. Stiles was 5th with 77. Vanderheiden and Hamilton, both with 78, rounded out the scoring.
The meet was held at Crestwood Hills, which is a relatively short 18-hole course by modern standards, but it is well-defended by mature trees lining most fairways, strategic hazards, and rolling/undulating greens and terrain. The front 9 highlights include short-to-mid par 4s with heavy tree pressure, a par-3 over water, a reachable par-5 along the lake, and a dogleg-right par-5. The back 9 has more elevation changes, such as uphill approaches, downhill holes, and risk-reward elements like willow trees in the fairway or funneling slopes. Crestwood Hills has a course rating of 65.5 and a slope rating of 110.
Cardinal girls 2nd at Shenandoah
On April 17, The Cardinals won the ‘small-school division’ of the 16-team Shenandoah Invitational with their record team score of 373 and were 2nd overall. Lewis Central carded 371 to take top honors.
Charlet’s 86 was good for 6th place individually. Nixt was 9th with 90, Koberg was 14th with 95, and Londyn Mapes rounded out the scoring with 102.
Shenandoah Golf Course is a scenic, 18-hole semi-private/public facility. It features a classic layout with a lake and creek coming into play on nine holes, spacious greens, sand bunkers, and fairways lined with mature natural trees and landscaping. The course emphasizes accuracy and shot placement over raw distance, with risk-reward opportunities, doglegs, blind shots, elevated tees, and sloping or tiered greens that reward thoughtful course management.
Earlham Echo 
Leave a comment