On Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 9 and 10, the West Holt Lady Huskies went to North Platte to participate in the NSAA Class C girls state golf tournament for the first time in 25 years, and only the second time in school history.
Throughout the history of the girls golf championships, the weather has been all over the place. With some years getting rain, sleet and even flakes of snow. This year, however, the athletes were blessed with wonderful weather in the mid-60’s with a slight breeze to keep them cool.
Day one began with a frost delay, as the greens were still recovering from the cold weather the night before. At 10:00 a.m., senior Abigail Mathis and junior Brooklynn Butterfield began their days.
Following Mathis and Butterfield was the trio of Brinley Kerkman, Catarina Ketteler and Daleni Knust, in that order. While the Huskies showcased nerves at their district competition, the girl came out much calmer in day number one of the state tournament, with all five of the Husky golfers coming in with rounds under 100 for the first time all season.
After day one, the Huskies were sitting in fifth place as a team with a team score of 378. Leading the way was the freshmen Knust and Kerkman, who posted scores of 93, followed by seniors Ketteler and Mathis, who put up scores of 95 and 97 to round out the team score. Also keeping it under 100 was Butterfield, who ended the day with a 99, although her score was not used for the day one team score.
Day two began at the proper start time of 9:00 a.m., with the Huskies looking to secure their team goal of finishing within the top five.
On the second day, the Huskies all had tee times off of hole, one, making it easier for the Husky friends, fans and family to follow and support all the girls participating.
The girls began the second day slightly worse than the first, possibly feeling the pressure of sitting in the top five. But after a few rough holes, the girls were able to settle in and find their comfort zone. Butterfield was the first of the Huskies to finish nine holes, posting a 45. As word got around to the other Husky golfers of Butterfields performance, the team seemed to calm down and find their groove.
With the wind gusting up to 15 miles per hour on day two, the scores were a bit higher, forcing the Huskies to show what they were made of mentally.
After a challenging day two, the Huskies proved they were there to play, shooting a team score of 379, just one stroke worse than the day before. But while their score was just a bit worse, the Huskies consistency proved to be a enough of a factor to keep them inside the top five, as the Huskies would actually jump the Wayne Blue Devils to take home the tile of fourth-place finishers at a competitive state tournament.
The fourth-place finish from the Huskies is the best state tournament finish in West Holt girls’ golf history, barely edging out the 1998 team, who finished in fifth place as a team.
While the Huskies weren’t able to take home any hardware from the state tournament, the team set new standards for Husky girls golf with their season. The Huskies took home team runners-up or champions at eight regular season invites this season, as well as a runner-up finish at the class C district three tournament. The Huskies also set a new school record with a team score of 358 at the Ainsworth Invite in late August.
The Huskies lost five seniors with the conclusion of the 2023 season, Ketteler, Mathis, Shaylee Campbell, Aubrei Clouse, and Miya Carey. But with five freshman joining the team this past season, with two of those freshman being members of the starting five at the state tournament, it seems the future of the golf program is in good hands.
Individual and team results from the 2023 NSAA girls state golf tournament are as follows:
Place Name Score
21 Daleni Knust 93-89-182
32 Brooklynn Butterfield 99-93-192
32 Catarina Ketteler 95-97-192
46 Abigail Mathis 97-100-197
46 Brinley Kerkman 93-104-197
Team Placings
Place Team Score
1 Broken Bow 344-337-681
2 Minden 350-340-690
3 Scotus Central Catholic 372-371-743
4 West Holt 378-379-757
5 Wayne 377-393-770
6 O’Neill 408-370-778
7 Ogallala 390-395-785
8 GICC 388-400-788
9 Valentine 399-392-791
10 Fullerton 421-403-824
11 Oakland-Craig 434-399-833
12 Perkins County 410-423-833
13 Lincoln Christian 422-436-858
14 Auburn 435-436-871
15 Platteview 439-432-871