Back-to-Back: Marian Golfers are Repeat State Champs
Back-to-Back: Marian Golfers are Repeat State Champs
Susan Rosenlof
Marian golfers celebrate their State Championship. Despite rainy conditions, the team reigned victorious.
Story by Alena Kehm '26 | Photo by Grace Tynan '26
After securing an undefeated regular season record, and the new title of back-to-back state champions, the Crusaders feel they’ve earned the right to call the 2025 season a success.
At the two-day state tournament, the Crusaders were victorious by a landslide, ending 33 strokes ahead of the Class A runners up, Westside.
Junior Lucy Peterson led the charge placing fifth in the state overall. Peterson was closely followed by juniors Lauren Murnan and Delaney Schmitz who tied for seventh, Leah Wisdom who placed tenth, and Sloan Mackintosh who placed twelfth overall.
Although the season ended well, the road to state wasn’t always easy. Despite last year’s state victory, this year started with uncertainty for the Crusaders.
“We didn’t know how the season was going to go,” Peterson said.
Last year’s team was led to victory by Madison Murnan. This year, the team’s leadership looked a bit different. “I think that the juniors really stepped up this year as captains on varsity,” Peterson said. “We lead our team to victory by stepping up our game and filling in a spot that was lost.”
Madison may have graduated, but her legacy lives on in both her younger sister, Lauren, who has been a part of both the 2024 and 2025 the state winning teams, and in Marian golf as a whole.
The team had a near perfect regular season, winning all six of their tournaments. Their only defeat occurred in Metros, but thanks to their chemistry as a team, the loss didn’t phase them. “I think that this year the team really bonded well,” Peterson said. The Crusaders used that bond and went on to win districts and state.
On Oct. 15, the Marian community celebrated the golfers with a championship pep rally. At the event, Coach Robert Davis recognized each of the girls on the team, and the student body participated in a much deserved rendition of the fight song.
Although the five varsity golfers were the only ones to compete in the state tournament, “the whole team contributed to the victory, not just varsity,” Peterson said.