Mustang Golfers Ready for State After Winning League, District Tournaments

The Redmond girls' golf team will seek its second state title in four seasons this week at the class 4A state tournament. Competition begins today and continues Wednesday at Down Rivers Golf Course in Spokane.

The squad is fresh off a win at the KingCo District 2 Tournament May 11 at Mount Si Golf Course. Redmond earned 87 points in the 36-hole tournament to best runner-up Newport by 12 points and claim its seventh district title in eight seasons.

Senior co-captain Kelly Kennewick (156) was one shot off the leader and junior Keira O’Hearn (166) was fourth overall. Seniors Carley Kalina and Stephanie Schoeppel both shot 178 to tie for seventh while freshman Casie Helgeson and senior Makayla Walker tied at 180.

Redmond has now won eight straight KingCo titles, but the Mustangs’ dominance goes far beyond league championships. They’ve also won 86 consecutive KingCo matches dating back to 2003.

“The fact we have such a legacy — it’s cool to be a part of something like that,” O’Hearn said.

The streak is alive for at least another season after a historic 210-216 victory over Newport on May 9. The score of 210 is the lowest-recorded score by a girls’ golf team in the history of Newcastle Golf Club.

“That’s what it took to beat a really good team,” said fifth-year coach Jake Crowley.

Defending champ Bellarmine Prep, along with Richland, Newport, Kentwood, and Central Kitsap, are legitimate state contenders in Crowley’s mind. But his team, which returns all three of its state scorers from a fourth-place finish in 2010 in Kennewick, could be the favorite.

“I believe we have the best team in the state in stroke play,” said Crowley, who had his team play a round on the course earlier this month to get acclimated to the dry greens. “But this is all (scored) by points. You can’t have a 92 or 93 at the state level and get away with it. You have to shoot mid-80s the first day.”

O’Hearn is confident that the Mustangs can do just that – especially since they’re taking all six team entrants for the first time since that special 2008 campaign.

“This year, we have so much depth that we’re bound to get a lot of them through (the cut),” O’Hearn said. “We’re really confident right now, and the girls are playing really well.”