By: Mike Glesinger
Golf is a lonely sport, it's you against the Course, a mental game as much as a physical game, with plenty of highs and lows over the 18 holes. If you can stay consistant through the round, you can have success. Consistancy was the mark of the Alliance Girls Golf Team in 2020. Despite limited numbers and Covid interuptions, the team played through the season and saw consistant scores and a lot of improvement.
The season started at Sidney, where the Bulldog team knocked 53 strokes off their score from the previous year. The Western Conference Tournament saw Alliance's Julia Wilson earn All Conference honors with a 10th place finish. The Bulldogs broke the 400 mark with a 397 score at Mitchell, with Julia Wilson and Morgan Young finishing 4th and 7th, in leading AHS to the team title. At Chadron, Julia Wilson and Regan Lambert were 7th and 10th with excellent rounds, to give the team a boost heading into the District Tournament. Districts were held at the Heritage Hills Course in McCook...by far the most challenging course the team played this season. The course is filled with steep hills, sand traps and lots of native grass. Alliance played very consistant thru the entire round, and as the final groups came in, there were some anxious moments. Alliance posted a team score of 427, good enough for a 3rd place finish.....(by one stroke) and earned a trip to the State Championships. Julia Wilson lead the way with a 9th place medal, shooting 95....but the other team members were within 10 strokes of the top 10. This was the first time in 40 years an Alliance Girls Golf Team had qualified for the State Tournament. State Golf was held on a familiar course in Gering this year. The Girls remained consistant with their scores and while they finished 12th in the team standings, it was a great expirence for the underclassmen and for Seniors Regan Lambert and Julia Carlson, a nice way to finish their high school careers.
Head Coach Berlyn Clear presented the following awards at a team banquet Monday night.
Friends of Golf Award: Annora and Dana Bentley
Most Improved Award: Donna LeMunyan
Lowest Average for the Season: Julia Wilson
All Conference: Julia Wilson
Skills Master Award: Regan lambert
Team Captains: Regan Lambert, Julia Carlson
NCPA Academic All State: Regan Lambert, Julia Carlson
Letter Winners: Regan Lambert, Julia Carlson, Julia Wilson, Morgan Young, Donna LeMunyan