Breathe in. Breathe out. Block out all the eyes on you. Focus. Set up your play. Examine the hole, grip the club in your hand, and then glance back at the ball. Fix your stance. Hit the ball. Boom. 

This is what girls golf did every match in the season. The girls had grown used to the routine and stakes were high once again this year in the ultimate battle of the NSAA State Girls Golf Championship on October 10-11.

This year, girls’ golf made it to the final round.

The team worked hard at state, tying it up in first place after the first day. But by the second and final day, the crew fell short and placed third in the final rankings of the state tournament.

“I’m not very happy with third place for the fourth year straight. I thought this year was our year. We were in good standings the first day, but I don’t know what happened to us the second day,” Senior Izabella Pesicka said.

Pesicka placed 5th in the individual rankings. Senior Erica Lee placed 7th. 

“The team next year has seen what the varsity girls went through this season and have learned a lot. I think they should just continue the tradition of maintaining an overwhelming amount of support within the team. The support each girl has received from the other is what created the passion, friendship, and determination,” Lee said.

While making state is an impressive feat in high school sports, the journey to win it all isn’t easy. Many aspects might rock unprepared athletes. There is an enormous amount of pressure on this talented group of athletes that sometimes people seem to overlook.

“The dynamic of playing at the State Tournament, you really feel the pressure, especially at that first tee. I am not exaggerating, there is at least 100 people watching you tee off. But we also get the best community of being able to be with our family and teammates and just hangout. It’s a fun team aspect,” junior Cali Wisdom said.

These golfers stay unflappable under the fierce expectations set for them. 

The girls golf team has grown in their mastery and their match mindset throughout the season. Most of the girls on the 2022 varsity team are seniors, so this tournament was their last. This leaves a bittersweet feeling among the girls.

Pesicka and Lee both feel disappointed about the final result in their last high school tournament, but they know that they tried their best, remained diligent, and made precious memories while being part of the girls golf program.

“We always try our best to never give up throughout the entire tournament, and although our hard work didn’t pay off like we wanted it to, we were all there for each other before, during, and after the tournament,” Lee said.

MN golf has become family for these girls. With all the tournaments, practices, and team events, the girls are very close and spend a lot of time together.

“It’s such a tight community. Just being a part of something makes Millard North feel a lot smaller, even though we’re such a big school,” Wisdom said.