Freshmen contributing immediately for Spartan boys golf

GRUNDY CENTER – Matthew Sternhagen wouldn't expect Ashton Martens to say it himself.
 
But Sternhagen, one of the Spartans' senior leaders for this spring's boys golf team, knows how much Martens has already contributed in one week of competition.
 
Martens added a second medal in as many tries on Saturday morning with the low round of 41 to set the pace for a convincing Grundy Center team victory at the Spartans' home tournament at Town & Country.
 
Earlier in the week, Martens shot a 39 at Lincoln Valley in State Center as the Spartans won their season-opening dual with West Marshall.
 
"We're trying to get him to talk a bit more, he's a little shy," Sternhagen said, razzing the freshman as Martens listened within earshot. "It's huge to have a kid come in like that. … One of us can go low on any night, and when one of us goes low, that really brings the team score down. He's a humble kid. He's not gonna own up to winning, but he got the job done today."
 
Grundy Center closed out the day with a 176 team score, besting runners-up Union and Roland-Story by 15 strokes. The win clinched the sixth-consecutive Spartan Invite title. BCLUW finished fifth with a 202 team score, paced by Lane Stanley's 46.
 
Sternhagen posted a 42, followed by Travis Kuester's 46, matching 47 scorecards from Andy Cox and Tanner Appel and Dexter Whitehill's 48.
 
Whitehill is the other freshman with Martens in the varsity lineup this season, and his contribution can't be understated either – the Spartans' six played so well Saturday that Grundy Center could've dropped their two best scores from Martens and Sternhagen and still bested the field by three strokes.
 
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