The girls Varsity Golf team, currently the undefeated league and regional champs, are now the 2016 Girls Golf State Champions. Varsity Golf Coach Mr. Jeff Haney talks about how this past season went.

“We felt both excitement and relief when we finally realized we had won,” Mr. Haney said. “It can be tough to win when everyone expects you to.  The pressure is definitely higher when you are the favorite… so it felt good to finally achieve our goal.”

By Junior Keri Yang’s third year on the team, she has been able to consider the team’s goals and incorporate that into their daily routine.

“Our team goal is mainly to play the best that we can at every tournament,” Keri Yang said. “We work hard the following day at practice to improve in areas that we thought we could have done better in.”

This goal-conscious training had proved successful as the team went to states feeling more prepared based off last year’s experience. Keri Yang describes the satisfaction of winning.

“We were all really happy because we had waited an entire year for those two days,” Keri Yang said. “It was like we had a second chance to fix our mistakes. Not many teams get to go to a state final or even be in contention to win one, so we all felt very blessed that the opportunity rose again. When we won, I personally felt a sense of relief with happiness because I could feel that all the hours our team had worked had definitely paid off.”

Mr. Haney discusses the slight setbacks that were on their path to victory, however commented more on the mental aspect rather than of athletic ability.

“We didn’t really have any struggles during the tournament,” Mr. Haney sad. “Leading up to the tournament, we had a lot of people assuming and telling us we were going to win, without realizing how many great teams were out there that we’d have to beat. Sometimes that makes it tougher to stay focused.”

The three captains are seniors Erika Yang, Veronica Haque and Brooke Busse. Busse has been on varsity since her freshman year, and has been able to take a lot from the experience.

“I am very sad that this is my last season, but I had a lot of fun over the year,” Busse said. “I think [my years playing on varsity] has impacted me to work hard and always strive to try your best.”

Similar to Busse, Keri Yang is also upset over losing the senior captains that she has grown to become close with.

“I’m really sad because the three seniors are all leaving me,” Keri Yang. “It’s been just the four of us for so long and I’m really saddened that they will no longer be on the team. I’ve become really great friends with them, and I do, however, hope the best for them in their college careers.”

Mr. Haney believes that the girls are well informed on what needs to be improved individually in order to achieve the team’s goals, and allows that to set the guideline for practices. Sophomore Kyra Shaw elaborates on the daily training and practices.

“Usually we all do our own thing for practice,” Shaw said. “We have the choice to putt at one place, hit at the range, go out and chip some balls or play nine holes.”

Erika Yang talks about how the results from last year has affected the girls on the team and the overall mindset of the athletes.

“Last year we were tied for first, and then we lost the tie breaker, so it kinda made us made more hungry [for the state championship],” Erika Yang said. “It made us keep working harder so we could capture the state win.”

Haque was excited that she got to experience a great season with the teammates that she has gotten to get to known since her freshman year.

“I love my teammates because we are all really close,” Haque said. “I’ve known them all for four years and now my sister is on the team. We all support each other so it is really nice to get to spend my final season with them.”

There is an equal amount of intensity and excitement running through the whole team. The returning girls are preparing physically and mentally for next season, aiming to get the championship two years in a row.

“Every year brings new challenges and expectations,” Mr. Haney said. “I’m definitely excited about next year to see how far we can come and to see if we can make it back to the state finals.  My goal is for us to surprise some people next year.