Cherry Creek owns more state high school girls golf titles than any other program in Colorado, having won nine since girls golf was first officially sanctioned in the state in 1990.
The Bruins have also captured seven individual state championships over that period, including the first (by Jill McGill, who went on to win two USGA championships) and the last (Mackenzie Cohen).
Arapahoe, meanwhile, has claimed one state team title in girls golf (2010) and has never won the individual crown.
Considering how the Bruins and Warriors have dominated girls golf in the state recently, one or both schools figure to add to their trophy cases this year.
Cherry Creek and Arapahoe have monopolized the top two spots in the girls 5A state golf championships each of the last three years, with Creek winning the last two titles. And no one would be surprised if this year produced more of the same when the 5A meet is held Monday and Tuesday (May 20-21) at Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction.
Meanwhile, the 4A state tournament will be played those same days at Broken Tee Golf Course in Englewood.
Appropriately, the teams were separated by just one stroke at their state qualifying tournament, the Metro-East Regional at South Suburban Golf Course last week. And arguably the two favorites to win the 5A individual title, juniors Calli Ringsby of Cherry Creek and Hannah Wood of Arapahoe, placed 1-2 at that regional, with scores of 72 and 73, respectively. (Ringsby is pictured swinging above, while Wood is at left.)
Both golfers are in the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA.
Ringsby won both the CWGA Junior Stroke and Junior Match Play Championships last year, and she was one of four girls who represented the U.S. in the USA-China Youth Golf Match last August. She’s finished second and fourth in her previous two 5A state tournaments.
Wood made an impression on the national stage in March when she won the prestigious Kathy Whitworth Invitational in Texas. In Colorado, she captured the CJGA Tournament of Champions last fall. At the 5A state meet, she’s placed 10th as a freshman and third last year.
Also a good bet to be in contention this year is University of Colorado signee Claudia Davis of Arapahoe, who’s had three top-11 finishes at state. Meanwhile, Cherry Creek’s Cohen, who pulled off a big surprise in winning the 5A individual championship last year, will defend her title.
At the 4A state meet at Broken Tee, Jennifer Kupcho of Jefferson Academy and Taylor Dorans of Broomfield figure to be the favorites for the individual title.
Kupcho, the 2012 CWGA Junior Player of the Year, won the CJGA 14-18 Junior Series Championship as a 15-year-old last year. She shot the lowest score at any regional — 4A or 5A — when she carded a 5-under-par 67 at Fox Hollow in the 4A Metro-West.
Dorans, who has signed to play college golf at the University of Wyoming, won the 4A Northern Regional title for the third time. She’s finished in the top six in each of her previous three trips to state.
Regis Jesuit, the 4A team champion a year ago, is now competing on the 5A level.
Here is a rundown of all the 2013 regional champions, and of the known college golf signees in the 5A and 4A fields.
2013 Regional Individual Champions — Calli Ringsby, Cherry Creek, 5A Metro-East Regional, 72; Jaylee Tait, Columbine, 5A Metro-West Regional, 74; Jennie Chun, Highlands Ranch, 5A Northern Regional, 74; Mary Kate Nelson, Pine Creek, 5A Colorado Springs Regional, 82; Jennifer Kupcho, Jefferson Academy, 4A Metro-West Regional, 67; Taylor Dorans, Broomfield, 4A Northern Regional, 76; Taylor Walters, Rifle, 4A Western Regional, 74; Gia Zupancic, Pueblo East, 4A Southern Regional, 80; Megan McCutcheon, Lewis Palmer, 4A Colorado Springs Regional, 84.
2013 Regional Team Champions — Arapahoe (5A Metro-East Regional); Dakota Ridge (5A Metro-West Regional); Fairview (5A Northern Regional); Central of Grand Junction (5A Colorado Springs Regional); Valor Christian (4A Metro-West Regional); Estes Park (4A Northern Regional); Pueblo West (4A Southern Regional); Montrose (4A Western Regional); Cheyenne Mountain (4A Colorado Springs Regional).
College Golf Signees in State Tournament Fields — Laura Cohan, Valor Christian (4A), Colorado Christian; Claudia Davis, Arapahoe (5A), University of Colorado; Taylor Dorans, Broomfield (4A), Wyoming; Maggie Geolat, Palmer Ridge (4A), CSU-Pueblo; Tori Glenn, Valor Christian (4A), CU; Megan McCambridge, Fairview (5A), Butler; Kelly Moran, Fairview (5A), William & Mary; Jordan Sunset, Fairview (5A), Northern Colorado; Rachel Sweeney, Mountain Vista (5A), Lewis, Ill.
