CORTEZ – The numbers keep dropping and the confidence keeps growing for the Dolores girls golf team.
With a core of upperclassmen, the Bears have a group where any of their players can lead the way on any given day. Each member of first-year head coach Cheri Walker’s team enjoyed strong stretches on their home course at Conquistador Golf Course in Cortez on Tuesday afternoon, helping the Bears to third place in their first home tournament since the program was reinstated after a five-year hiatus.
Senior Samantha Abate paced the way for the hosts, posting a 49 on the front side of the course on her way to a 112 – a nine-shot improvement over her effort on the same course from a week earlier. Four bogeys in a five-hole stretch in the middle of the round helped bolster her team-leading effort.
Abate earned eighth place in the individual standings, five spots in front of junior Julianne Vega, whose best golf came down the homestretch. A par on the 14th hole helped Vega to close with a 54 over her final nine holes and an overall round of 118.
Senior Siena Parr likewise enjoyed a strong finish, closing to within one shot of Vega and a 14th place effort with a par and three bogeys in her final seven holes to round out her total of 119.
Junior Jadyn Gorsuch also finished with three bogeys in her final six holes to cap off a round of 123 and a 15th place individual performance. Overall, the Bears totaled 349 strokes as a team to claim on of their best stroke totals of the season.
Montezuma-Cortez was led by junior Afton Unrein, who fired a 95 to take co-medalist honors with Palisade’s Lexi Taylor. Unrein parred three of the four par-fives on the course and shot a closing nine 47 to match her playing partner Taylor stroke-for-stroke in the closing holes.
Sophomore Dannika Goodall’s added another personal best, collecting three pars on the back nine to hit 100 on the nose, earning third place in the invite. Freshman Tenley Bryan broke 120 by three strokes with a strong middle part of her round that included a par on the 8th hole. M-CHS junior Keira Jago added a round of 131 for the Panthers who finished as the runner-up with a total of 312, nine strokes behind tournament champion Palisade.
Now, with regional tournament three weeks away, the Bears look forward to continue regular season action at Eagle Ranch Golf Course in Eagle on the final day of April.
