Emporia High Girls Golf Places Second at 5A State Tournament

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Avary Eckert

   The Emporia High School Girl’s Golf Team placed Second at the State Golf tournament on Tuesday. This was the best finish in the school’s history and was a great ending to the already historic season. Coming off a second-place finish at the Regional tournament, morale was high heading to the state tournament.

   The tournament had to be delayed by half an hour on day one and two hours on the second day due to cold weather. “The most challenging part of the tournament was the cold wind. There are only so many layers you can put on before you are not able to fully swing,” said Ella Fessler. Despite the weather, the team played well and took home the state runner-up trophy.

   The Spartans had one top-20 finisher and two top-10 finishers. Avary Eckert finished in a tie for 4th shooting a two-day total of 152, Olivia Eckert finished 8th with a two-day total of 157 and Elise Eckert finished in a three-way tie for 14th place. Elise shot 174 shooting a personal record of 81 on the second day to improve on her round of 93 from the first day, and Ella Fessler shot a two-day total of 192 playing very consistently on both days. “I think the tournament went far beyond my expectations. Heading into the first day of the tournament, we weren’t even sure we would make it to the second day, so to get state runner-up was huge,” said Ella Fessler. 

   Even with the miserable weather, there were still very memorable moments on the golf course. “At our hotel, there was a pool table, and a few of us got to learn how to play pool, and we also brought card games and played them during some downtime after the first day of state,” said Avary Eckert. On the course, there were also many more memorable moments. “My favorite part of the tournament was playing with the other girls who I have been playing with over the years. We knew each other pretty well and kept a positive attitude throughout the round and that atmosphere allowed me to play my best,” said Olivia Eckert.

   Even with the excitement of the state tournament, the team had fun and had a very successful tournament.