MHS Girls Golf brings home first ever State Title

As freshmen in 2020, the MHS seniors on the golf team didn’t get to compete at state due to Covid.  The next two years they watched at Richfield took the title twice, just like they had before Covid, four times in five years.  But 2023 was the Lady Trojans year!  Entering state as the top ranked 3A team, Morgan led from the first hole to the 36th hole.  After the first day of the tournament, Morgan held a seven stroke lead, 322 to 329, over the reigning champions, Richfield, and after day two, they had stretched the lead to 12 strokes, bringing home Morgan’s first ever girls’ golf state title.  Ellie DeMond earned Morgan’s first ever girls’ individual title finishing nine strokes over her teammate Jailee Snow, who earned the silver medal.

In the team standings, Morgan finished with 642 total strokes over second-place Richfield’s 654.  Juan Diego was third with 666 and Grantsville finished fourth (707).  

Head coach Dennis Peterson commented, “What a way to finish off a high school golf career! I am so blessed to be able to be a part of this team. From having to play or not play through the Covid year and the changes that were made, to the worst spring weather ever in a girls golf season, this group just kept fighting until the end. To all of the team, thank you for letting me coach!”

Seniors DeMond and Snow, who have both signed to play golf for Westminster College in Salt Lake City, led the team with the one-two finish individual finish as gold and silver medalists.  DeMond finished two under par with a dominant Day 2 showing after shooting par on Day 1. DeMond led from start to finish to earn her first individual medalist title after finishing fourth as a sophomore and as a junior.  Her freshman year DeMond won the PGA high school tournament that was held in lieu of the State Championships due to Covid.  DeMond is a four-time All-State Golfer, four time regional medalist, and four time Region Champion.

DeMond shared her experience at state. “As a team, we have been preparing for this tournament for the past year. I worked hard to be ready for this moment and decided to just focus on ‘one shot at a time’ which helped me shoot some of the best scores of my career, including a 2 under par in the final round.” 

“Coming up the 18th hole, I knew I wanted to finish strong and was so excited to see my team standing around the final hole. As I made my final putt, I was so excited to embrace my team knowing we had just won the championship.” 

“One of my biggest memories will be giving my mom a big hug as she has been a huge part of my golf career and has always been my biggest fan. I am just so excited for our team to win the first Team Title in school history!””

DeMond’s mom is Kacey DeMond, assistant coach for the Trojans.  She agreed with all of her daughter’s sentiments.  “Over the past few years I have watched our seniors grow and become very strong players. I have become close to these girls and are proud of what they have accomplished. I have watched them become more resilient and mentally strong. They have learned lessons that will benefit them throughout their lives about commitment and challenges and the rewards of hard work. I am going to miss this senior class, they are a special group of girls.” 

Snow, who was in third place after Day 1, improved to second after the second round when she shot a +2. She finished seven over to earn silver medalist honors.   

“As I walked up to the green on the 18th hole, all of my nerves started to kick in. I looked over and saw all of my team sitting by the green cheering me on, but I didn’t know how my team was doing. When I knocked down my last putt I felt a huge sense of relief come over me. I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked off the green with my teammates hugging me and knowing that I had just shot my best score ever. Winning state was a feeling I cannot describe. It is so rewarding knowing that my team worked so hard this year and put so many hours in on the course to make this dream become!”  Snow remarked.

Morgan’s junior Camden Smith, sophomore Jane Poll and senior Kia Christiansen tied for 19th place overall.  Freshman Kenadee Benson, the final golfer, finished tied for 29th.  Christiansen was Morgan’s third place golfer both days, and two different scores were used for the fourth golfer.

“The first day, we used Camden’s score in our scoring,” Assistant Coach Kacey DeMond explained.  “It was her best score ever!  The second day, our fourth score was Jane Poll; it was her lowest ever!  We had a lot of PRs at State!”

Girls’ golf has been sanctioned by the Utah High School Activities Association since 2008.  In high school golf, six golfers compete and the top four scores are combined for the team total.  Every score counts, and each stroke is important to the overall team score.  “Every member of our team worked together to achieve this championship,” Kacey DeMond shared.  “It’s so great to bring home our first championship!” λ