Senior Chelsea Gagner finished eighth at the state 3A girls golf tournament in Eagle Crest on May 15 and May 16.
Her finish at state earned her all-state honors. The top 10 golfers at state are considered all-state golfers.
She shot 84 the first day and 79 the second day.
“Eighty-four is her averageon the year, so the second day was better than average,” Coach Tom Horn said.
Gagner was happy with how she finished golf this year.
“I wanted top 10, and that’s what I got,” she said. “I felt really comfortable. I really worked hard to get there.”
The first day, penalty strokes drove her performance down. She shot out of bounds once and had two shots in the water, for a penalty of four strokes.
“My putting was a lot better the second day,” she said. She had 36 putts the first day and 31 the second.
Gagner has golfed for four years, starting with a 12th-place finish in districts her freshman year. She reached state last year and finished 20th.
“I practiced my game a lot last summer,” she said. “I worked with Coach Horn this winter.”
Over the winter, she adjusted her swing, making it longer.
She credits Horn’s guidance for the improvements to her game during her high school career.
“He’s basically molded me since I was a freshman,” Gagner said.
On May 8 and May 9, the boys finished fifth in Capital Conference districts.
“We didn’t play well the first day,” Horn said. “Only one player shot better than his average, and that was Ryan Elliott.”
Elliott shot 88, the second-best score for the team, Horn said. Sam Waller led the Huskies, shooting 86 and 80.
The Huskies settled into fifth place the first day, but played much better the second day, Horn said. It wasn’t enough to get any higher in the team rankings.
Sean McGuyre played extremely well the second day, Horn said. He shot 82. Taylor Huschka had his best game yet shotting 86.
The Huskies had their second-best score of the season, Horn said. “We played much better but just couldn’t get enough to raise ourselves in the standings.”
Sisters finished first, and Stayton finished second to earn the right to compete at state.
No boys qualified for the state tournament.
The Huskies lose three senior boys and two senior girls, including Waller, McGuyre and Elliott and Gagner and Elyse Ellinboe.
It will be a reloading year, Horn said, and both girls and boys will be going to new leagues.
“We’ve got something to build off with,” Horn said. Both Taylor Huschka and Travis Ramoz show promise.
Assistant Coach Jason Gorham will become head coach for the girls golf team next season. Horn will be head coach for the boys.