High school girls golf: ‘Determined’ Morgan squad wins school’s first ever 3A state title
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Ellie DeMond, right, hugs her mother and assistant coach Kacey DeMond, after finishing her round, earning both the individual and team titles, at the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
For the past four 3A state tournaments, the Morgan Trojans managed to come away with some hardware — though it came in the form of the state runners-up trophy.
Once again, at Thursday’s 3A state tournament at Glendale Golf Course, the Trojans managed to come away with hardware, but this year’s trophy didn’t have the accents of silver they’d become accustomed to over the past few seasons.
For the first time in school history, the Morgan girls golf team brought home a trophy with the shimmer of gold.
Led by seniors Ellie DeMond and Jailee Snow, the Trojans were crowned 3A state champions with a final team score of 642. DeMond dominated her way to the individual title, shooting 142 and finishing as the only player in the field that shot under par for the tournament, while Snow finished in second place individually with a score of 151.
Morgan finished 12 strokes ahead of second-place Richfield — the school it had been a runner-up to the last four tournaments. After holding a seven-stroke lead following Wednesday’s opening round, the Trojans added to their lead on Thursday, outshooting the Wildcats by five strokes with a score of 320.
Juan Diego finished in third place, 24 shots behind the Trojans.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” Morgan head coach Dennis Peterson said.
“They’ve worked and worked, and then they got to these two days. They’ve been here before and have been on the wrong end of (winning a title), so today was about our seniors and the leadership they showed, as well as their experience.”
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Members of the Morgan girls golf team embrace on the 18th green after Ellie DeMond finished her round, earning the individual and team titles in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Richfield’s Brielle Jolley putts during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Juan Diego’s Cabria Walters putts during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Richfield’s Brielle Jolley hits a tee shot during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Richfield’s Brielle Jolley chips onto the green during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Juan Diego’s Cabria Walters chips onto the green during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Morgan’s Ellie DeMond takes a tee shot on her way to the individual title in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Morgan’s Ellie DeMond and Juan Diego’s Cabria Walters check their distance to the green in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Morgan’s Ellie DeMond putts on her way to the individual title in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Morgan’s Ellie DeMond hits sights up a green on her way to the individual title in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Richfield’s Abbee Albrecht putts during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Richfield’s Brielle Jolley hits from the fairway during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Juan Diego’s Grayson Gagnon putts during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Morgan’s Jailee Snow chips onto the green during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Juan Diego’s Grayson Gagnon hits from the fairway during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Members of the Morgan girls golf team embrace on the 18th green after Ellie DeMond finished her round, earning the individual and team titles in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Members of the Morgan girls golf team pose for photos after earning the team title in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Members of the Morgan girls golf team, including coach Dennis Peterson, pose for photos after earning the team title in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Richfield’s Brielle Jolley hits a tee shot during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Juan Diego’s Cabria Walters watches a tee shot during the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Morgan’s Ellie DeMond putts on her way to the individual title in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Morgan’s Ellie DeMond hits from the fairway on her way to the individual title in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Morgan’s Ellie DeMond takes a tee shot on her way to the individual title in the 3A girls golf state tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
DeMond and Snow came up big for the Trojans, as the senior duo combined to shoot a whopping 31 strokes lower than the next lowest pair of teammates in the field.
DeMond said she and her teammates just focused on playing relaxed and playing for the team rather than stressing about individual performances. That mentality allowed the Trojans to maintain a fairly comfortable cushion over the round’s final holes.
“Today it was all about averages,” Peterson said. “We told the girls to just go out there and play their averages and everything was going to take care of itself. … After nine holes it was still pretty close, but on the back nine we started separating ourselves.”
Perhaps the biggest moment of Morgan’s final round came on the ninth hole, where DeMond sunk a 10-foot putt for an eagle which, at the time, gave the Trojans a 13-stroke lead (their highest of the tournament) with the back nine to play.
While Richfield managed to pick up a stroke on the back nine, it wasn’t enough to trouble the momentum-filled Trojans, who were set on finally winning the title that had eluded them.
“I can’t even explain how happy and excited we are for each other,” DeMond said.
“We (as seniors) had taken second to Richfield the last three years and it’s been such a drive for us. We’ve had to be so determined and we’ve fought so hard, practicing every day for hours on end, to get here for this moment. … It’s been such a fun journey and I’m glad we got to end it this way.”
Citing the COVID-19 year, as well as the tumultuous weather and scheduling this season brought, Peterson said that he was glad that this particular group — and especially the seniors — received a fitting reward for the work they put in to find success.
“These girls have earned everything they’ve got today,” Peterson said. “They’ve worked their guts out. … They’ve just been a fun group to coach.”
Class 3A state tournament
At Glendale Golf Course
Full leaderboard
Team scores
1. Morgan, 642
2. Richfield, 654
3. Juan Diego, 666
4. Grantsville, 707
5. Juab, 758
6. Union, 759
7. Carbon, 769
8. Delta, 788
9. Ogden, 797
Individual results
142 — Ellie DeMond, Morgan
151 — Jailee Snow, Morgan
154 — Cabria Walters, Juan Diego
162 — Shelby Gardner, Richfield
162 — Abbee Albrecht, Richfield
163 — Brielle Jolley, Richfield
166 — Grayson Gagnon, Juan Diego
168 — Brooklyn Brown, Union
170 — Makenna Bohman, Grantsville
172 — Hallie Janes, Richfield
173 — Mia Lewis, Richfield
173 — Ashley Cutshall, Juan Diego
173 — Isabella Werner, Juan Diego
174 — Charlotte Poulsen, Richfield
175 — Alivia Jefferies, Granstville
175 — Sophia Medina, Judge Memorial
177 — Ashlyn Matheson, Juab
177 — Camrynn Zufelt, Delta
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178 — Jane Poll, Morgan
178 — Camden Smith, Morgan
178 — Aspen Delis, Summit Academy
178 — Kia Christiansen, Morgan
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