Sion Audrain – Sugar Beet staff reporter
The girls golf team teed it up in their state tournament last Monday in Dodge City at Mariah Hills. McMillen lead the team with a 83, bettering her score from last year by 14 shots which put her in a tie for ninth place individually, where she won a sudden death playoff against two past state champions, Topeka Washburn Rural’s roster, Megan Lucas and Adyson Crough. Alyssa McMillen was pleased with her play.
“I played well at state and I am really happy that I won in the playoff,” McMillen said. “I was really nervous and I just wanted to stay calm. I had a pretty good season and we had a really good season as a team. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait for next year.”
McMillen’s solid round of nines consisting of 41-42 led the Buffs to a team total of 379, which placed them seventh out of 12 schools. Washburn Rural defended its team title with a 327, followed by Shawnee Mission East with a 335. East had tied with Blue Valley West, but the tiebreaker is the fifth score for each team and East garnered that with a lower score.
Head coach Jacob Waller was pleased white his teams performance.
“The girls played well at state, and I am really happy for Alyssa and proud of her that she won her playoff,” Waller said. “All the girls got better throughout the season and it was a lot of fun.”
Other scores for the Buffs were Elena Lemke (93), Morgan Cabral (98), Kaylee Keller (105), Annika Wood (119) and Grace Yi (134). Individually, Gardner-Edgerton’s Mia Tovkach took medalist honors with a 1-over-par 71 in gusty and steady winds approaching 20mph most of the day. That was three shots clear of Abigail Glynn of Washburn Rural, who came in with a 75. Only two other players managed to break 80 in the difficult conditions.
Assistant coach Carlos Prieto was impressed by the girls play throughout the season.
“The girls had a really good season, I was surprised by how good they played,” Prieto said. “The girls really stepped up when they needed too and they played really good in the bigger tournaments. I had a lot of fun and I can’t wait for next year.”
The girls won five tournaments this season and their biggest win was Regionals.
Sion is a health academy junior. Contact him at audrains@student.gckschools.com.
Garden City High School 