NORTHWOOD, Iowa &045; The words &uot;conference champions&uot; were not used by coach Craig Rayman &045; at least not publicly &045; when assessing the prospects for the 2003 Glenville-Emmons boys’ golf team.

And that was before two returning all-conference players chose not to come out for the squad.

It left the Wolverines with one senior starter. It apparently did not leave them without motivation.

The Wolverines claimed the Southeast Conference title outright Thursday with a hard-fought 172-179 victory over Houston Northwood Country Club. Two days earlier, the Wolverines defeated Lanesboro to clinch a tie for the SEC crown. They finished 9-1 in conference duals.

&uot;Again, I’m very happy for the boys,&uot; said Rayman. &uot;They were delighted to win the conference outright. It’s the first time it’s been done since we restarted golf (at Glenville) in the mid-1980s.&uot;

Matt Webb led the Wolverines Thursday and was the co-medalist with a 40. The other scores that counted for G-E were Kelsey Martinson, 43; Luke Klingson, 44; and Seth Holstad, 45.

&uot;The boys have worked hard for this,&uot; said Rayman. &uot;A lot of them play a lot of golf in the offseason and they take the game seriously.&uot;

The G-E girls topped Lyle/Pacelli 232-247 Thursday to finish 7-3 and in third place in the SEC.

Scoring for G-E: Amber Weber, 56; Jessica Boyum, 56; Lauren Bremer, 60; and Emily Wolff, 60.

&uot;The girls had a good season,&uot; said Rayman.

The season continues today with the Southeast Conference tournament. The winner gets a traveling trophy. The sub-section tournament is next week.