Kathleen Kershisnik doesn’t know the feeling of being the individual state golf champion, but she’s happy with a four-year career at Regis Jesuit that netted two team titles.
Kershisnik lost on the second hole of a playoff with the medalist title on the line at the Class 4A girls state golf tournament, but helped lead the Raiders to the team championship for the second time in three years.
The University of Wyoming signee, plus teammates Sofia Vigil and Sydney Gillespie, make up the majority of the 2012 Aurora Sentinel All-City Girls Golf Team, which is based on state tournament performance.
Joining the Regis Jesuit trio is Overland’s SeungHa Choi and Eaglecrest’s Jamie Griffin, who both posted top-18 individual finishes at the 5A state tournament at Aurora Hills Golf Course.
Kershisnik was disappointed in losing to Pueblo South’s Bryce Schroeder in a playoff at Boomerang Links with the 4A title at stake, but the Raiders’ runaway victory helped take away a little bit of the sting.
“I know I fell short of being the state champion, but the fact that I got two state championships under my belt with teams I love and considering family, that’s good enough for me,” Kershisnik said.
Regis Jesuit coach George Miller called Gillespie his “secret weapon” for most of the season, but the hope of secrecy diminished as the season went along.
Gillespie overcame any trepidation she had to play at a high level for the entire season, finishing it off with a fifth-place overall result at the 4A state tournament. Her progress will be a key for the Raiders next season as they compete in 5A, as will the contributions of Vigil, who has been part of both title teams.
Vigil is thankful for the push she gets from the other players in the Regis Jesuit program, which has helped her game improve drastically.
Despite winning last season’s 5A state title, Choi’s confidence in her game wavered at times, though she still managed to post strong scores nearly every time out. Choi won medalist honors at the 5A Metro East Regional at Aurora Hills and showed signs of life with a late run in the second round of the state tournament, but couldn’t quite catch the leaders and finished tied for seventh.
Griffin was more confident in her junior season and relished playing with the top players in the Centennial League, consistently keeping herself in the top 10 in a loaded group.
Griffin finished a career-best 18th at the state tournament and could have been higher if a few more putts had dropped.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
2012 AURORA SENTINEL ALL-CITY GIRLS GOLF TEAM
SeungHa Choi, Overland, sr.; Sydney Gillespie, Regis Jesuit, fr.; Jamie Griffin, Eaglecrest, jr.; Kathleen Kershisnik, Regis Jesuit, sr.; Sofia Vigil, Regis Jesuit, jr.
Honorable mention: Danae Bushman, Rangeview, soph.; Julia Kim, Rangeview, soph.; Lauren Richardson, Regis Jesuit, jr.; Malorie Williamson, Gateway, fr.; Soleil Worthy, Overland, soph.
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