The varsity girls golf team had two players participate in the Missouri State tournament on Oct. 18 at Columbia Country Club. Junior Maurissa Thrall ranked 14th out of over 80 participating athletes at the State Competition and senior Madeline Gregston ranked 22nd.

Thrall said it takes a lot of perseverance to be able to go to state.

“Qualifying for state is something that gives me a rush. Golf is often an underestimated sport that seems to be easy but it is not. Qualifying for state takes hours upon hours of hard work and dedication. I am blessed to qualify and go to state all 3 years of my high school career,” Thrall said.

But Thrall said her motivation isn’t the only thing pushing her to succeed. Thrall said varsity girls golf coach Corey Choate also played a large role in her and the team’s success.

“I have learned a lot mentally and physically in my game and I have my coach to thank. He’s truly amazing and is always willing to help and teach me things to improve,” Thrall said.

Although the district match was challenging for junior Madeline Gregston, she said she was able to qualify for state.

“It was a challenging day. I had a couple of holes I would normally play well, but made some mistakes. Fortunately, I played well enough to advance to State,” Gregston said.

Gregston said she had a successful season and many new opportunities came to the team.

“It’s been a really fun season. We have a great group of girls who like to have fun, but also strive to get better. We had a lot of players that returned from last year, but also gained a lot of new players who improved so much over the season,” Gregston said.