By Lane Maguire

The STA golf team beat Notre Dame de Sion High School 171-178 for the first time in 13 years September 1 in a 9-hole match at Swope Memorial Golf Course.
“I was really proud of our team for beating Sion,” STA senior and varsity golfer Alexis Buford said in an email. “It’s something we’ve dreamed of for years. We all wanted to scream we were so happy, but we couldn’t with their team right there. As soon as they got in their cars, the celebration began.”
STA golfers in this match included juniors Emily McCann, Jackie McGee and Alex Jackson, seniors Elizabeth Daughtery and Buford, and sophomore Frankie Neunuebel. McCann placed first in the match, two Sion players tied for second, and Buford placed third. STA varsity golf coach Teresa Borchert said that she is excited for the girls, who, according to her, all deserved the victory.
“[The moment of the game that really stood out to me was] when our last girl was coming up and we were trying to figure out what we shot,” Borchert said. “They were all just super excited. That’s all I really remember.”
Sion has won the golf State championship the last three years. However, their top 10 golfers recently graduated.
“The girls that graduated last year from Sion won every tournament and match they competed in,” Buford said. “Even though they became some of my best friends, I’m glad they graduated so we have a chance to shine. This was a big factor, but also our team has worked extremely hard for this to happen, and it finally did.”
STA junior and varsity golfer Emily McCann agrees that the victory can be at least somewhat attributed to Sion’s loss of seniors.
“Well, to be honest, I think Sion is worse this year than they have been in previous years,” McCann said. “They’ve had a really strong team every other year that I’ve been here and I know that we haven’t necessarily had a strong team in a few years, for a while. So, I think it was just us being better and Sion being worse that gave us the victory.”
McCann believes that the team’s chances for State look promising and hopes the team can place top 10 or top 15. Last year, only two members of the golf team qualified for State: Buford and alumna Madalyne Bird. Buford agrees with McCann that the team’s chances of qualifying for State as a whole are greater this year.
“After beating the team that’s won all the tournaments this year, we know our chance to place at State is great,” Buford said. “It’s just a matter of staying calm and playing the game we’ve all grown to love.”