Stewart Johnson
DPS_GGolf_2024
Kicking off the year with a strong showing at the season-opening tournament in September, the Carroll girls golf team’s impressive results foreshadowed a successful season ahead.
Not only did the Lady Dragons register their first tournament win at the Heart of Texas event at Pecan Valley in Fort Worth, but they immediately achieved a goal they intended to reach before the season’s end — to break par as a team. Shooting 287 on Day 2 proved to the team that their lofty goals were attainable.
With a first-place finish at the Class 6A Region I tournament April 17-18, the Lady Dragons had their focus on the biggest prize of the year this May as they returned to the state meet, where they finished sixth in 2023.
“I think their eyes are set to win,” associate head golf coach Paige Martin says. “They know that they're capable of it.”
The girls golf program, which won consecutive state titles in 2008 and 2009, has not taken gold since, but has been to state every year since 2013 and last medaled in 2022 with a third-place finish.
The Lady Dragons have impressed all season long, winning five of their 10 tournaments in the fall and spring and finishing second twice. Carroll faced its toughest pre-district competition at the State Preview Tournament in November and finished fifth. But the team continued to show improvement, winning four of its last six meets leading up to state, including the District 4-6A meet in late March and the regional meet.
“[They] got beat by a couple of the teams that are in our region [at the State Preview],” Martin says. “So that was nice to get the regional win, get a little revenge there and go into state on a high note.”
With a roster consisting of two seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and a freshman, the Lady Dragons are led by players who have their share of experience. Senior Chiara Brambilla, the No. 1-ranked girls AJGA golfer in Texas, has been on varsity all four years and reached state every year. Sophomores Tyler Burtnett and Aubrie Nolen made the trip to state last year, and freshman Gia Ahlowalia has already shown talent and potential in her first varsity season.
“I think our team has a lot of talent,” says associate head golf coach Matt Glenn, who has coached Carroll golf for over 20 years. “They know it's the end of the season and are starting to really click.”
Glenn said he expects teams like Austin Vandegrift, Humble Kingwood and Austin Westlake to be some of the biggest challenges they’ll face at state, noting that all 12 teams at the tournament will be tough to beat. However, the Lady Dragons’ mentality on the course gives them as good a chance as any to claim the gold medal.
“They're not intimidated, they're not scared and they seem like they're ready to roll every time they're out,” Glenn says. “That's what I like about this team.”
As reported on May 16, 2024.