Sophomore Maddy Bante Wins 1st Place Individual with Par Score of 144 in Two-Day Tourney
St. Mary’s Academy won the 3A State Golf Championship June 1 by 43 strokes over runner-up Prospect Ridge in the two-round tournament at the Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield, giving them the trophy title for the second year in a row. Their mind-blowing win margin is just shy of the 45-stroke lead they held over Vail Mountain in last year’s tourney.
On the individual leaderboard, sophomore Maddy Bante won 1st place with a two-day par score of 144, having shot one over May 31, and one under June 1, including six birdies. She placed second in last year’s tournament and came back from an injury late this season to win the title.
Senior Mallory Hopper tied for 6th place in the tourney with a 165 (+21) , and fellow senior Natalie Tatar finished in 11th place with a 171 (+27). Both recent grads are signed to play in college.
Sophomore Reese Brown finished in 46th place. The same four student-athletes won the trophy last year.
As with last year, the team donned different uniforms May 31, bearing pink ribbons and pink Wildcat logos, in honor of Coach Ann Wolta Blackstone, a three-time breast cancer survivor. Coach Blackstone was recognized with the 2022 Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award and won Coach of the Year last year. The coaching staff also includes Russell McFall, SMA teacher at the High School.
St. Mary’s Academy snagged the regional golf title last week at Spring Valley Golf Course in Elizabeth by 15 points over Prospect Ridge. Both Hopper and Tatar were named to 1st Team All Conference, and Bante named by the league as Honorable Mention for her comeback from injury.
“I am so proud of the grit, hard work, and determination of our 2022 State Golf Champions,” said SMA Athletic Director Dr. Kelli Logan. “They turned in a brilliant defense of the 2021 title.”
St. Mary’s Academy, based in Cherry Hills Village, is an independent, Catholic, Co-Ed Pre-K to Grade 8 and All-Girls High School, founded in 1864 by the Sisters of Loretto.