CARBONDALE - Defending Illinois Class A girls golf champion St. Anthony from Effingham beat the local field by 13 strokes to win the Hickory Ridge Class A Challenge on Tuesday.

St. Anthony took the title despite having only one of its three two-girl teams finish in the top five scores. The Bulldogs' top team of seniors Emily Calhoon and Taylor Behl carded a 73, good for second in the individual scores.

The Bulldogs' second team of sophomore Kelly McHugh and junior Kelli Griffen scored 77 and finished eighth overall, while their third team of seniors Lauren Kabbes and Shelby Spruell finished with an 83.

"This was our second win of the young season," St. Anthony coach Kevin Behl said. "We won Monday at the Wooden Shoe Classic in Effingham and then here. We graduated two of the best seniors we've ever had, so a lot of people were concerned it might be a rebuilding year. But we have four seniors coming back and a couple others coming up and playing well."

Carterville finished second with a combined score of 246 and Carbondale took third, just two strokes behind at 248. Nashville (254) and Okawville (259) rounded out the top five.

The tournament featured three of the top 10 Class A state finalists. Katie Jean of St. Thomas More out of Champaign and Shaina Rennegarbe of Okawville were at the top of the list, tying for fourth last year at the state finals. Massac County's Dawn Wienties finished in a 10th-place tie last year at state.

The senior Wientjes and her freshman partner, Taylor King, tied for first place with the Carterville team of seniors Natalie Hendrick and Elizabeth Gentry. Each team carded a 69.

"I was putting very well today," Wientjes said. "My sophomore year, me and Carly Ball won here with a 69, so winning it again with the same score and a new partner was great."

"Putting was working for me today," Gentry said. "Natalie taught me the bump-and-run and that got us on the fringe within five yards today."

Jean teamed with Megan Deedrich for St. Thomas More - which finished second to St. Anthony last year at the state tournament - to finish in a fourth-place tie with Okawville's Rennegarbe and Stephanie Gaebe. Each team shot a 74.

"We used more of my drives, but Stephanie was putting on fire," Rennegarbe said. "We worked well as a team today."

"We used the scramble format today and I like it," Gaebe said. "My putting comes and goes, but today I was hitting the ball pretty good. It was fun today playing with one of my team members in my first high school match."