At KCII, we’re continuing to count down the top 10 sports stories at area high schools in the 2023-2024 academic year. At number three is the Highland Huskies girls’ golf team reaching the state tournament for the first time in school history.

Highland put together an phenomenal spring season, with a second-place finish at the Washington Invitational the only time they didn’t win the team competition in an event that they played in.

That included bringing home the program’s first-ever Southeast Iowa Super Conference championship at Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club in Wapello on May 6th, as their team score of 380 strokes edged out New London by two.

Sophomore Addison Prottsman led the Huskies and finished tied for third at the conference meet by shooting a 19-over-par 91, while junior Danika Kraus was tied for fifth with a 92; senior Kelsi Cerny fired a 97 to finish tied for eighth; and Emersyn Schultz worked her way into the top 10 with an even 100.

Four days later, Highland started the postseason by cruising to victory in the Class 1A Region 5B tournament in Sigourney. The Huskies’ team score of 372 was more than 70 strokes better than second-place BGM, with Cerny and Prottsman tied for top medalist honors by each shooting an 86 and Schultz taking third with an 94.

A first-ever victory in a regional tournament was followed up by taking home the title at the Region 5 finals as well on May 15th at the Preserve Golf Club at Honey Creek Resort in Moravia, securing the team’s first-ever trip to state.

Highland finished with a team score of 350 strokes and was 13 better than a New London team that was runner-up in Class 1A the previous season. Prottsman led the Huskies by carding an eight-over 80 and was third on the individual leaderboard, while Cerny was fourth by shooting an 84 and reached state for a second straight year.

While Highland would not add a state championship to its 11 team victories, the Huskies would still have a spectacular two days at the Class 1A state championships at American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown.

After putting up a team score of 367 on May 23rd and reaching second place on the team leaderboard, a total of 374 strokes the next day led the Huskies to a final finish of third place in the state, only 30 strokes behind eventual champion Easton Valley.

Prottsman shot 33 over par across two 18-hole rounds and finished 12th on the individual leaderboard, while Kraus was just three strokes behind her and ended up inside the top 20.

Schultz and Cerny joined them in finishing the season with average 18-hole scores of under the century mark and an average of less than 55 strokes in nine-hole competitions.

Be listening this week as the countdown of KCII’s Top 10 Area Sports Stories from the last year continues, and find the stories as their spot on the countdown is revealed at KCIIradio.com.