Mitchell High School Girls Golf Team Captures Third Place at State Tournament

WATERTOWN — The Mitchell High School girls golf team secured a commendable third-place finish at the Class AA state tournament held on Tuesday at Cattail Crossing Golf Course. The team maintained its standing from the previous day, following up a first-round score of 308 with a second-round total of 326, culminating in a 36-hole aggregate of 634 strokes.

Aberdeen Central clinched the state championship title once again with an impressive score of 603, while O'Gorman took second place with a total of 626. The Kernels had five of their six players finish within the top 25 all-state rankings, showcasing their competitive strength.

Maddie Childs led the team, finishing in ninth place with a score of 156 (75-81), closely followed by Londyn Hajek, who tied for tenth with a score of 158 (78-80). Mia Larson and Brynlee Sabers both posted scores of 163, tying for 13th place, while Anna Eliason rounded out the team's performance in 17th place with a 164 (84-80). Elliot Smith also participated, finishing with a score of 200 (100-100).

Coach Brian Eliason expressed pride in his team's performance, stating, “Five girls in the top 17 at state is just phenomenal, and we still took third place. In general, we played pretty well, and I'm happy with the way we played. It’s just that two other teams beat us, and Aberdeen played ridiculously good golf.”

For seniors Childs and Sabers, this tournament marked their final high school competition. Coach Eliason reflected on their contributions, saying, “(Monday) was awesome for those two, for sure, and we're going to miss both of them next year.” Despite a strong push from Mitchell to close the gap on O'Gorman during the final round, the Knights finished strong to maintain their lead.

The tournament saw Olivia Braun from Aberdeen Central become the individual medalist, matching even-par rounds of 72 for a total of 144. O'Gorman's Ari Jacobs, who led after the first day, ended in second place with a score of 145. The top five positions were dominated by players from Aberdeen Central and O'Gorman, highlighting the competitive nature of the event.