COLORADO SPRINGS | Aurora’s contingent for the upcoming Class 5A girls state golf tournament swelled by a handful Wednesday as five qualifiers from city programs made it through Central Region play at Pine Creek Golf Club.
A tight team chase between three schools for the two automatic qualifying spots went to Cherry Creek and Rock Canyon, while things still worked out for coach Charlie Rutenbeck’s Regis Jesuit team, which got all four of its players qualified individually.
Seniors Caitlin Neumann and Georgia Meysman-Sharpe along with sophomores Audrey Whitmore and Paige Furgason all finished in position to give the Raiders a full lineup for the 5A state tournament May 30-31 at Black Bear Golf Club.
Neumann had the top individual finish of the group as she shot a plus-6 78 — during which she shot plus-3 on both the front and back nines — to finish in third place individually and qualify for state for a third consecutive season after her freshman campaign was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.
Whitmore and Meysman-Sharpe also played in the state tournament last season and they shot 88 and 90 to finish 10th and 11th, respectively, at regionals with Furgason’s 94 putting her in a tie for 15th place.
Besides that, Eaglecrest senior Savanna Becker earned her third career state tournament trip as well as she carded a plus-5 77 to finish as the regional runner-up to Rock Canyon’s Ashleigh Wilson, who shot 73.
Becker made her lone birdie of the round on No. 12 and was just 3-over with two holes left, but came away from 17 with a double bogey. She was the lone regional entry for coach John Olander’s Raptors.
Aurora’s contingent for the 5A girls state golf tournament now includes three full four-player teams — Cherokee Trail, Grandview and Regis Jesuit — in addition to individuals in Becker and Smoky Hill’s Sophia Stiwich. Vista PEAK freshman Sophia Capua represents the city in the 4A state tournament.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2023 Class 5A Central Region Girls Golf Tournament
May 14 at at Pine Creek G.C.
Team scores (top two teams qualify for state tournament): 1. Cherry Creek 248; 2. Rock Canyon 252; 3. REGIS JESUIT 256; 4. Legacy 273; 5. Columbine 274; 6. Pine Creek 289; EAGLECREST, Denver East and ThunderRidge no score
Top 15 individuals (par 72): 1. Ashleigh Wilson (Rock Canyon) 73; 2. SAVANNA BECKER (EAGLECREST) 77; 3. CAITLIN NEUMANN (REGIS JESUIT) 78; 4. Ayla Milan (Legacy) 79; 5. Kate Cowser (Cherry Creek) 81; 6. Caitlyn Chin (Cherry Creek) 82; 7. Ashley Chang (Rock Canyon) 83; 8. Tatum Platt (Cherry Creek) 85; 9. Emory Crawley (Columbine) 86; 10. AUDREY WHITMORE (REGIS JESUIT) 88; 11. GEORGIA MEYSMAN-SHARPE (REGIS JESUIT) 90; T12. Cecilia Murray (Cherry Creek) 93; T12. Megan Carlson (Pine Creek) 93; T12. Lily Hathaway (Columbine) 93; T15. PAIGE FURGASON (REGIS JESUIT) 94; T15. Amelia Barr (Legacy) 95