WICHITA — On Monday, the Great Bend High School girls’ golf team did something that none of the school’s teams has done since 1983, compete as a full team in a Class 5A state tournament.
The Lady Panthers finished in last place in the 12-team field with a score of 446, but head coach Troy Stein said there was something positive to take away from it.
“It’s easy to look at it that way, yeah, we finished last,” Stein said, “but the way I look at it is we finished in 12th place out of 32 teams in 5A. There were a lot of teams around the state that didn’t get to compete at the tournament. We made it.”
McKenna Mauler led the Lady Panthers shooting a 95 for 22nd place. The top 20 get medals.
“McKenna played really well on the back 9,” Stein said. “She shot a 45 on the back 9 and 50 on the front 9 for a 95. I think 93 would’ve tied her for 20th.
“She had to battle some real cold weather on the front 9, but I guess everyone had to. It wasn’t very good weather for golf early on this morning.”
Hannah Mauler was Great Bend’s No. 2 golfer at 106.
“Hannah had a rough first half, too,” Stein said. “We talked about it just being a privilege being here, and we just need to go out there and have fun, but I still think they let the nerves get to them a bit.”

                                     — Kevin Price

HIGH SCHOOL GOLF
Class 5A State Tournament

Monday

At Wichita
Tex Consolver

Team scores
1. Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 360; 2. Bishop Carroll, 366; 3. St. Thomas Aquinas, 373; 4. Andover, 386; 5. St. James Academy, 387; 6. Shawnee Heights, 390; 7. Blue Valley Southwest, 390; 8. Hays, 393; 9. Salina Central, 398; 10. Goddard Eisenhower, 401; 11. Topeka Seaman, 401; 12. Great Bend, 446

Great Bend results
McKenna Mauler, 95; Hannah Mauler, 106; Taylor Mohr, 113; Michaela Cape, 130; Kacee Kasselman, 134; Maddie Vesta, 141