But under an edict from the PIAA, Shimel and other female golfers had to play from the longer blue tees this season for their match scores to count. So Shimel, who shared runner-up honors in the PIAA girls' tournament last year, moved back to the longer tees and got some revenge for those "pitch and putt" comments.

Shimel shot a 2-over-par 74 last week at Downingtown Country Club to earn overall medal honors in the Ches-Mont League championships and propel the Blue Demons to their third consecutive American Division title. Shimel battled gusty winds in posting the 74.

"I think I gained their respect," Shimel said with a well-earned chuckle. "I never expected to win with all those boys [there were more than 100], but I showed I could hang right with them."

Shimel, the Blue Demons' top player since she was a freshman, credited her consistency with enabling her to deal with the wind.

"It's just too hard to judge in the wind, but I'm a consistent ball-striker, so that helped," said the 5-foot-10, 155-pound Shimel, who can hit a drive 250 yards.

Shimel is as capable of picking up awards in the classroom as she is on the golf course. On Tuesday, she was named a Hewlett-Packard Scholastic Junior all-American by the American Junior Golf Association. The all-American team is made up of 12 boys and 12 girls who have excelled on the golf course and in the classroom.

"She's a really great kid," said John Dunigan, her instructor from Aronimink Golf Club. "She's very competitive and a hard worker. She picks up on things very quickly."

John Griffith, her coach at Kennett, describes Shimel as the core of the team.

"She is so instrumental to the team because of her attitude," Griffith said. "She sets a great example. We'll definitely miss her when she graduates."

Adam Birmingham, one of her teammates, called Shimel a "great team leader."

Next month, Shimel is scheduled to sign a letter of intent to play for Maryland. She also has plenty of golf to play in the near future.

On Wednesday she will compete in the PIAA East Region tournament at Golden Oaks Golf Course in Fleetwood in an effort to qualify for the PIAA state championships Oct. 20-21 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York.

She was one of three District 1 girls to qualify for the regional tourney, shooting a two-day total of 159 on Monday and Tuesday at the Turtle Creek Golf Course in Limerick.

As an AJGA all-American, Shimel also will play in the Polo Golf Junior Classic Nov. 22-28 in Reunion, Fla.

Noting that just three girls from District 1 made the regional tourney, Shimel said she wants to encourage more girls to take up golf.

"Golf requires you to be self-motivated," said Shimel, who admits to being a perfectionist on the course and in the classroom. "But if you stick at it, you can do well."

or dbeideman@phillynews.com.