BIWABIK — In the spring of 2009, Maggie West moved into the No. 1 position on the Broncos girls golf team as a sophomore. She replaced Maria Porter, who twice qualified for the state tournament before graduating.
West said this to The Journal before the 2009 season even started in regards to replacing Porter:
“I don’t know, those are some pretty big shoes to fill,” West said when asked if she can duplicate Porter’s performance. “I can only hope I can do as good as Maria did.”
So far, so good.
West, now a junior, qualified for her first Class 2A state tournament Wednesday by finishing fourth overall in the Section 7AA tournament at The Quarry at Giants Ridge.
“I was really excited,” West said before admitting she was nervous on nearly every shot during her round on Day 2.
Nervous or not, West’s 87 in the final round tied her with Virginia’s Emma Kishel for the third-best score of the day. West finished with a 2-day total of 178 (91-87), trailing Hermantown’s Callie Wilson (166—81-85), Virginia’s Melissa Hill (167—83-84) and Kishel (169—82-87).
Hermantown won the section with a 748, finishing ahead of Virginia (758), International Falls (807) and Hibbing (833).
West, who missed state by 13 shots last year en route to a 194, said she really buckled down on the back nine. She shot a 45 on the front nine (after a birdie on her first hole), before finishing with a 42 over the final nine holes. The Quarry is a par 72 (36-36).
“I just tried to stay relaxed and focus on every shot,” she said. “Try to keep state in the back of my mind.”
Now it will be one of the only things on her mind until she tees off in the morning on June 16 at the Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.
“The girls program is looking pretty good,” Broncos head coach Bill Mason said.
Kelly Blair, who matched West’s first-round score of 91, struggled early on Day 2 and shot a 101, finishing 10th. She missed state by six strokes.
Malinda Porter had a 2-day total of 202 (93-109) and finished tied for 15th, while Katie West (115-126) and Alyssa Bergstrom (121-120) both shot 241. Savanna Stratton finished at 246 (120-126).
Hermantown will be making its sixth appearance in the state tournament.
