Torrington junior Caleigh Essert won the individual girls state championship by 14 strokes over the weekend in Douglas to become the first Trailblazer to win a state golf championship.
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DOUGLAS – Torrington junior Caleigh Essert won the individual girls state championship by 14 strokes over the weekend in Douglas to become the first Trailblazer to win a state golf championship.
“Everything clicked. Nothing was off and everything finally just clicked,” Essert said of her title-winning performance. “I was just here to play my game and play like Caleigh does and see what happens.”
On the first day, Essert posted a blistering 79, which was 12 strokes ahead of two-time defending champion Macy Jacobson (Lander), who sat in second after the first round. Essert distanced herself by another two strokes Friday by shooting a 78 to finish with a two-day score of 157, 14 strokes ahead of Jacobson’s 171.
“I like pressure – it makes me focus more,” Essert said of being in the same group as Jacobson both days. “It’s just kind of a friendly competition.”
Led by Essert’s 157, the Torrington girls took third as a team. Kaylee Wilson finished second for the Lady Blazers on both days, shooting a 111 on Thursday and 113 on Friday. Her two-day score of 224 earned her 20th.
Jade Reinhardt, who was subbed into the Torrington lineup late in the week had her score counted for the team score Thursday, shooting a 120. She trimmed her score to 119 Friday to finish with a 239 (23rd). Laura Halley finished one stroke (240) and one place (24th) behind
Reinhardt. Halley’s second-day score of 116 counted for the overall team score.
Jenna Kaufman was the final Lady Blazer to compete in Douglas, finishing with a two-day score of 261, shooting a 131 on Thursday and a 130 on Friday.
The Lady Blazers were sitting second after the first day as a team, carding a 310 on Thursday, only behind Buffalo’s 308. On the second day, Lander rallied from their third-place position to take first as a team with a two-day score of 602. Buffalo took second (615) with Torrington (617), Riverton (642) and Cody (648) rounding out the top-five.
In the boys division, Jordan Malm and Cameron Murphy represented the Blazers. Malm shot a 93 on the first day, tying him for 21st on the leaderboard. He rallied Friday to put up an 82 to sneak back into the top-10, tying for the 10th spot with a score of 175. Murphy shot a 97 in the first round, followed by a 102 in the second round, finishing with a 199.
Lander also won the team title in the boys division, combining for a two-day score of 671. Douglas and Star Valley took second and third, respectively, with scores of 690 and 719.
The state tournament ended the golf season. Essert and Malm earned all-state honors for finishing in the top-10 over the weekend. Despite the season being over, every golfer that competed for Torrington in the state tournament is not done golfing for the Blazers, as none of them are seniors.
