NHS Girls take 5th at state golf

Niwot High took four golfers to the state Class 4A state championship at Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction May 31-June 1, and the results did not disappoint.

"We had a great state tournament," Head Coach Ed Weaver said. "We finished fifth place overall, which I'm very happy with. After the first day, we were fifth, but sixth, seventh and eighth place teams were very close."

The Cougars separated from the pack on day two, finishing 26 strokes ahead of sixth-place Cheyenne Mountain. Erie took the title with a two-day total of 480 strokes for its top three golfers. Erie and Niwot finished first and second, respectively, in the Region 2 qualifying tournament. All four of Niwot's top golfers finished in the top 21 at regionals

Niwot started slowly, with a first-day team score of 280, but the top three golfers dropped the team score to 253 on the second day. "The team improved by 32 strokes from day one to day two," Weaver said, which included the scores of all four golfers for Niwot.

Both freshman Alena Kasanicky and senior Sydney Rothstein earned second team All-State honors. Kasanicky was the top golfer for the Cougars, but started slowly with a first-day score of 85. She moved up several slots with a second-day score of 74, fourth-best among all golfers for that day. Her total score of 159 moved her into 11th place overall in the final standings. Had she shot a 74 on both days, she would have finished second overall, only one stroke behind state champion Hadley Ashton of Erie.

Rothstein shot an 89 on day one, then followed with an 86 the second day for a final score of 175, giving her a 15th-place finish.

"The first day they were just trying to figure it all out," Weaver said. "For Alena, a freshman, it was her first time ever playing at state. I told them that the boys got better by 26 strokes the second day, and I used that as motivation. I said, 'You're all better - you know that - so get out there and play your game.'"

Kate Jones, a junior, was the third Niwot golfer to contribute to the team score, shooting a 107 on the first day, only to drop her score to 93 on the second day for a total score of 200, good for a tie for 47th place. "She had a really good second day," Weaver said.

Sophomore Mina O'Dell was not far behind, finishing in a tie for 55th place, with scores of 106 and 102 for a total score of 208. O'Dell also made state as a freshman. "She made a huge step at state from last year to this year," Weaver said.