All-IFN Individuals No. 7: Cybil Stillson
By Adam Yoder
InkFreeNews
NAPPANEE – Death, taxes, and Cybil Stillson on the InkFreeNews Top Ten athletes list.
It’s certainly beginning to look like a certainty, as the lefty, senior-to-be ace for the NorthWood girls golf team is one of the IFN honorees for the third straight season.
Third straight, you say? That’s certainly a theme for Stillson as of late.
She won her third consecutive Northern Lakes Conference individual tournament in 2020, she was named to the Indiana High School Golf Coaches Association All-State team for third straight year, her squad won their third straight sectional title, and Oreo’s Panthers advanced to the state finals for the third straight year as a team.
If that wasn’t enough, Stillson finished in the top 20 at the state finals for…yep…a third straight time.
Oh, and she finished third in the IHSAA/IHSGCA State Preview in August.
OK, that’s enough of thirds, Stillson is much more concerned about firsts.
To start the season, the junior got off a plane on Wednesday night after playing a two-day, national event in North Carolina to fire a two-under-par 70 the next morning to win her home event, the NorthWood Invitational.
With an even par 72, Stillson would claim the New Prairie Invitational title less than a week later.
In the regular season matches, she would earn medalist or co-medalist in nine of the ten matches her team played in, helping the Panthers to a 9-1 regular season mark.
Stillson is obviously one of the more talented players in Indiana, but what sets her apart is her ability to hang in there when things aren’t going so well.
Case in point was the NLC Championship in September. After not playing up to her standards and ending up in a tie for first with Concord senior Belle Brunner, Stillson just needed to two-putt from about 25 feet to win on the first play-off hole. Unfortunately for Stillson, her second putt lipped out and Brunner was given new life. Anyone that knows tournament golf knows how this story goes. It was Brunner’s advantage, mentally, now, as they headed to the second playoff hole.
However, Stillson, showing no emotion, walked to the tee, stood and breathed for what seemed like an eternity. Then she calmly grabbed a wood, struck it straight down the middle, pitched it to 15 feet, and calmly two-putted to earn the victory.
Talented and confident, sure, but she’s also very stoic and tough. That’s Cybil Stillson.
All those ‘thirds’ have a really good chance at becoming ‘fourths’ in 2021.