STRONG DUO PACE QUARTZ HILL GOLFERS DILGER, FRIGA LEAD WITH DEDICATION, EYE TO COLLEGE.

Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Staff Writer

QUARTZ HILL -- Quartz Hill High golf standouts Ayla Friga and Katie Dilger are consummate teammates in a sport dominated by individuals.

Friga, a senior, and Dilger, a junior, took it upon themselves to build team unity and golf skills, organizing extra practices over the summer and on weekends when the high school season began last month.

Their leadership has Quartz Hill on course to win its fourth consecutive Golden League title despite heavy graduation losses.

Although their leadership styles contrast greatly 7/8 Dilger is the more vocal of the two 7/8 they've combined to help produce one of the league power's best teams.

On Oct. 2, Quartz Hill shot a 205 on a nine-hole par-36 course at Antelope Valley Country Club that's believed to be the lowest recorded score in league history.

``Ayla and I are both veterans and there are a lot of younger girls on the team so we both feel like we should make them feel more comfortable,'' Dilger said. ``I know my freshman year I didn't know anyone on the team and it was awkward because I was a starter and nobody made an effort to talk to me and make sure I was comfortable.''

In addition to forging friendships, the extra training has produced drastically improved scores.

Friga has shed nearly seven strokes from her scoring averages, which are now in the high 30s. Others on the team have seen their scores plummet, too.

Dilger, the more experienced of the two, averages a 37.

Friga and Dilger, who are among the league's best golfers, have contrasting playing styles to go along with their different personas.

Friga has a more traditional upright stance, and Dilger has a more compact swing.

Their games, however, are strikingly similar.

Both have powerful swings and excellent short games.

``Even though they both generate a great deal of power, the way they generate that power is different,'' Quartz Hill coach Stu Manthey said. ``Their swings are different, but their approach to the game and their shots are very similar, which is unique considering their different personalities.''

Friga and Dilger are products of different athletic backgrounds, giving up soccer and softball, respectively, to pursue a sport where scholarships abound.

Friga played AYSO since she was 5 and two years of club for the Antelope Valley-based Heat team until suffering an ankle injury before starting high school.

Dilger came from a softball background, playing T-ball since she was 4.

Friga said the athleticism she developed playing soccer has benefited her golf career.

``It's not like swinging a bat in softball, but playing soccer, I got stronger and more athletic and that definitely helps in golf, plus it makes you more aggressive,'' she said. ``Sometimes aggression helps you in golf.''

Dilger's mother, Andrea, played on the softball, tennis and volleyball teams when she attended Quartz Hill High.

In addition to getting used to a different grip, Dilger had to learn a more vertical multiplaned swing that is different from a flatter one-plane softball swing.

``It's like a Ferris wheel rather than a carousel,'' she said.

Both players are pursuing collegiate golf careers.

Friga is being recruited by perennial state power College of the Canyons, but said Santa Clara University tops her wish list.

Dilger, who's involved in Quartz Hill's prestigious International Baccalaureate program, has scheduled unofficial visits at Northwestern and Notre Dame.

``They're both kids who work hard in the classroom and in athletics,'' Manthey said. ``The girls that are around par like they are pretty special, and both are going to be playing college golf at some level.''

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Quartz Hill High School golfers Ayla Friga, left, and Katie Dilger have scheduled extra practices and take pains to make younger team members feel comfortable and relaxed during matches to boost the team's margin in wins.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer