The girls golf team wrapped up its first ever state tournament Tuesday after the team shot a 370 (+90) during the second round to place sixth overall.
The team’s combined score over the two-day tournament was a 738.
Head coach Susan DeVoe said she couldn’t be more proud of the team for making it this far into the season.
“How much hard work these ladies put into this season, and how it paid off. That’s the reward,” DeVoe said. “They’re going to be the first ones in the history books, and nobody’s going to be able to change that for them.”
Here are the Cardinals’ round two scores, their two-day totals and their final placement:
- Senior Joellen Vogt: 75 (+5), 157, fourth
- Sophomore Marleigh Grant: 93 (+23), 184, T-30th
- Freshman Brooklynn Akers: 93 (+23), 190, T-38th
- Senior Olivia Lawhorn: 109 (+39), 207, 44th
- Junior Brette Hayden: 118 (+48), 242, 52nd
- Senior Abigail Kennedy: 114 (+44), 247, 54th
Topeka-Hayden took home the state championship after they combined to shoot a 661 over the last two days. Wamego’s Addison Douglass was the individual champion as she shot a 73 (+3) during the second round and had a two-day total of 146.
Vogt said her score was a personal best and there couldn’t have been a better way for her to end her high school golf career.
“I feel pretty proud of that. My drives were working today. My putting was great. I had really long putts for birdie today. I had a few long putts to save par,” Vogt said Tuesday. “I was having fun. I was paired with two of my friends that I’ve played high school golf with for the last four years, so it was just a fun day.”
Even though her goal was to be the state champion her senior season, Vogt said she is happy with the fourth-place finish.
“Two years ago, I said, ‘Senior year, I’m going to win it all,’” she said. “But now that I’m up here and how well I shot the last two days, I’m pretty proud of where I placed.”
The team felt after Monday’s first round that since they overachieved by making it to the second round they would play loose Tuesday and have more fun.
Vogt believes this is exactly what happened with the team.
“We were just playing with house money,” Vogt said. “This is our first year. We had no expectations to meet, so we were just having fun along the way.”
Akers said she turned in one of her best scores of the season during the second round.
“I’m very proud of myself. I’ve been practicing hard to get low 90s, and I did it,” Akers said.
Kennedy said she was also happy with how she played Tuesday as she improved her score by 19 strokes.
As her senior season concluded Tuesday, Kennedy said she is going to miss the camaraderie with her teammates the most.
“I’ve played a bunch of different sports throughout my life, and I’ve never been on a team like this,” she said. “I could’ve played the worst golf I’ve ever played, getting dead last, and my team will support me and tell me they are proud of me.”
Kennedy said she is glad she got to share time with the team at state during her final season.
“So many people play sports and they’re on a team, but not very many people can say they went to state. So, it feels really special,” Kennedy said. “Staying in a hotel room with your teammates and your coaches, and making those memories that you wouldn’t have made if you hadn’t gotten there. I feel a lot closer to my team after going to state and making those memories.”
Aside from Vogt, Lawhorn is the only other player to be with the team for all four years. Lawhorn said watching the team grow is something she is most proud of.
“I just feel very blessed and grateful that I had the opportunity to be on the team for four years,” Lawhorn said. “The fact that our team made it to state this year is a huge accomplishment in itself, and I’m super, super thankful that I was on this team to be there when it happened.”
Lawhorn said it is a surreal feeling to be a part of the first team in school history to make it to the state tournament.
“It’s a super cool experience to be able to say that within four years of having a girls golf team our team made it to state, and not only did we make it to state, but we made it to the second day of state,” Lawhorn said. “A lot of schools at regionals and state didn’t think that we would even make it to state, and then they didn’t think we’d even make it to the second day. So being able to prove them wrong shows a lot about our team.”
Hayden said she is really going to miss the seniors on the team.
“We have a lot of good people returning, like Marleigh and Brooklynn who have really helped the team this year, and I think we will have a good chance at making it next year,” Hayden said. “But at the same time, I’m really sad to see the seniors leave because we’ve made such good friendships and relationships. I’ll definitely have to keep in touch with them and keep golfing with them.”
Grant said it’s amazing to look back and see how much the Cardinals accomplished this season.
“I’m just like really proud of all of us and how far we’ve come from the beginning of the season. We accomplished our goal of making it to state and even made it farther,” Grant said. “It’s really great.”
Grant said she is already looking for ways to improve her scores for next season so she can help the team get back to state.
“I was already talking to my mom earlier about me getting a personal putting coach because that was really my downfall in my game,” Grant said.
As a freshman, Akers said being a part of the history-making team was exciting for her and she can’t wait to get going next year.
“I definitely know that I’ll be working harder this winter to lower down my scores, which will help out the team,” Akers said. “It’s very exciting, especially making history for Eudora High School and the girls golf team making it to state their fourth year. There’s definitely more to come.”
Reach reporter Jack Denebeim at [email protected]
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