Capping Off A Perfect Season

Story by Lucia Ambrose '25

At the biggest competition yet, the State Championship, the golf team played lights out and brought home the State title for the first time since 2010. The team was led by senior Madison Murnan who individually placed third, followed by sophomore Lauren Murnan in fifth, sophomore Delaney Schmitz in tenth, freshman Sloan Mackintosh in fourteenth and sophomore Lucy Peterson in eighteenth.

The team had quite a historical season. Both the varsity and JV teams have had top notch records. The Varsity and JV team rosters have fluctuated throughout the season based on how certain athletes score at recent competitions. Both teams have dominated at tournaments and invitationals. The various girls that have competed at the Varsity level have gone undefeated this year. In many cases, the JV team would also have placed in many Varsity competitions, too.

The team brought home the gold at the Metro Conference Meet with 20 schools. Lauren Murnan won the individual championship leading the team to their victory. The team tied the scoring record of the Metro Conference meet proving their dominance.

As the girls went into championship season, Peterson said, “As a team, obviously we want to win but we also want to have fun.”

Madison Murnan, the senior team captain, said, “I’m so excited to see how we play as a team and where we end up because we have worked so hard for everything that we have earned this season. As a team our goal is to win the State title, and one of my personal goals is to win state or to finish in the top three.” Both of those goals were met.

The athletes seemed to focus on team success while remaining locked in on their own performances. The girls were crowned the District champions on Oct. 7 at Stone Creek and the State champs on Oct. 15 which ended their undefeated season.

Reminiscent of all their great success, Madison said, “I am beyond proud of our team for what we have accomplished this year, and I can’t wait to continue to watch them for years to come.”

Head coach Robert Davis proudly talked about the legacy that the team captain Madison Murnan has left. At the pep rally after State, he said, “It is hard to imagine Marian golf without her, because of how much she has done to build team culture and bring us towards success.” Davis also shared his goal to win a few more championships with the team’s depth of talent.

Lauren Murnan ’27, Delaney Schmitz ’27, Sloan Mackintosh’ 28, Madison Murnan ’25, and Lucy Peterson ’27 pose after winning first place at the state championship on Oct. 15 at Riverside Golf Club in Grand Island after dominating the contest. They won by 24 strokes. Photo by Kelsey Bragg.