The MacArthur High School girls’ golf team earned a chance to represent Lawton Public Schools at the OSSAA 5A Girls Golf State Tournament, May 3-4 at the Dornick Hills Golf and CC and finished inside the top-10 as a team.
In the previous few seasons, the Highlanders have had individuals make State (2019-22), but this is the first time the team has qualified since 2018.
The Highlanders earned their spot in the tournament by placing fifth in their regional the week prior. Their reward was a tournament against 11 of the top teams in the state of Oklahoma.
In the first round, MHS came out and shot a 406, led by freshman Kenli Wade’s opening round score of 88. The Highlanders improved their score by 11 strokes in the second round to shoot a 395 and give them an 801 for the tournament.
Individually, Wade finished the 2-round event with a total score of 181, which was good enough to finish inside of the top-20 players. Sophomore Jaycee Richard finished with a 195, just missing out on a top-20 placing on the individual leaderboard. Additionally, sophomore Carleigh Duffy shot a 211, and senior Kaysie Rogers finished with a 214 and senior Brooklyn Gabriel carded a 237.
Carl Albert won the 5A State Championship with a 2-round score of 654, followed by Duncan, Bishop Kelly, Durant, Piedmont, Ardmore, and then MacArthur. Duncan’s JJ Gregston was the top medalist with an individual score of 140.
With a young team and more talent coming from the middle school, the Highlanders and head coach Michael Pooschke are hoping for this to be a reoccurring trip to the State Tournament, like the program did from 2014-2018.