AURORA | City teams and athletes won a combined four team championships and 12 individual events in the final weeks of the 2016 spring prep sports season. Here’s a look at one of Aurora’s state team champions, the Grandview girls golf team, the Class 5A state champion:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
GRANDVIEW: 5A GIRLS GOLF STATE CHAMPION
Coach Mary Danielson’s Grandview girls golf program had been making strides in recent seasons — especially after the arrival of senior Morgan Sahm back in 2012 — but she believed her team was capable of making the jump all the way to the top of Class 5A this season. Much of that optimism stemmed not only from the return of Sahm, who had three top-nine state finishes to her credit and had signed with the University of Northern Colorado, but from the arrival of accomplished freshman Amy Chitkoksoong, who had a lot of success in junior golf. The Wolves — who had another surprise youngster contribute when freshman Morgan Ryan earned her way into the varsity lineup mid season — lost the first Centennial League tournament by three strokes, but finished first in the final five league tournaments of the year and claimed the league championship decisively over a Cherry Creek team they had been chasing for a long time. Grandview earned its way into the state tournament as a team despite a sub-par performance in regional play and found itself down eight strokes to Regis Jesuit despite a solid opening round in the 5A state tournament on May 23 at CommonGround Golf Course. That eight-stroke deficit shrunk and eventually disappeared late in the second round on May 24, as Sahm and Chitkoksoong — who shot a blistering 4-under-par on her final 18 holes — played well during the pressure-filled finish and sophomore Caitlin O’Donnell shot four strokes better to give the Wolves the third score they needed to get past the Raiders and deny them a three-peat. Chitkoksoong finished second behind Regis Jesuit individual champion Mary Weinstein and Sahm recorded a career-best third-place finish with her future coach from Northern Colorado in attendance. Ryan also improved in the second round, though her score wasn’t needed.
Class 5A girls state golf tournament recap, here.
Class 5A final girls state golf results, here.
Class 5A girls state golf tournament photo gallery, here.