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Possessing a fair share of talent and experience, the Carroll girls golf team finished second at the 6A Region I golf tournament in April to clinch another trip to the state meet on May 16-17 in Georgetown.
However, it wasn’t dominant individual performances or unmatched prowess in a portion of Carroll’s game that allowed the Lady Dragons to find success this season. Drive, effort and extensive preparation paved the way to state this time around.
“Honestly, this team right here works harder than any team I've ever coached,” says Matt Glenn, associate head golf coach at Carroll, who’s overseen golf teams for more than 30 years. “They're highly motivated and highly competitive. When you put work ethic underneath that, that's a pretty good combination.”
Led by seniors MaKayla Tyrrell, Morgan Becker, Brooke Norman, Reagan Mills and Alisha Choudry, hard work in team practice and additional time on the course have displayed what it takes to compete at the highest level.
“Like the old saying, they’ve put their money where their mouth is,” Glenn says. “If you want to be good, this is what you've got to do.”
The younger members of the team are following their lead and making their presence felt as well. Sophomore Chiara Brambilla is a hard hitter off the tee, driving it the farthest most consistently. Junior Ashley Kim began playing golf only a year and a half ago, starting with the JV but making big enough jumps in her play to reach varsity last spring.
SEASON UPDATE
Competing against high-quality competition all season prepared the Carroll girls golf team for challenges they would face in postseason tournaments. That experience will once again come in handy when they face Texas’ very best teams at the Class 6A state tournament on May 16-17.
“Just about every tournament they played in, they faced someone they will see at the state tournament,” says Paige Martin, Carroll associate head golf coach. “Being around that competition all year long is really important.”
The Lady Dragons won two meets this season — including the District 4-6A meet in March — finishing second three times and third twice. Playing on courses like Legacy in Georgetown, where the state meet will be held, Texarkana Country Club and Fossil Creek in Fort Worth provided solid tests in the mental aspects of the game.
That mental toughness will be necessary at state, where there’s more on the line, more pressure and more eyes on players than at any other high school tournament. Matt Glenn, associate head golf coach, says the competition level will be one of the strongest at state in years. But Carroll has a good chance to do something special.
“This group has a chance to win a state championship,” Glenn says. “If they get it all right, they can make some magic.”