Vandegrift girls win second straight Class 6A UIL state golf championship
GEORGETOWN — Led by Swetha Sathish and Sydney Givens, Vandegrift turned up on the heat on a sweltering Tuesday afternoon to claim the Class 6A girls UIL state championship for the second straight year.
Vandegrift trailed San Antonio Reagan by three shots after Monday's opening round, but the Rattlers could not handle Vandegrift's torrid pace on Tuesday. Vandegrift finished the two-day tournament 10-over par, five shots ahead of Reagan.
The queen of the course was Sathish, who finished the tournament 6-under par. Givens finished four shots back to earn a silver medal for the second straight year.
"I'm literally speechless right now," Sathish, a junior who has committed to Arkansas. "I was shaking on that last putt. I am so happy and I owe everything to my coach, my team and my family. They have done so much to support me."
Said Givens, who's bound for Colorado: "It couldn't have been more perfect. We played really well as a team. I played all right today. I tried my best to give us the best possible chance to win as a team."
The Vipers took the lead after the first six holes and then never looked back. And while Westlake finished seventh, 31 shots off the pace, that did not ruin the day for sophomore Isabel Emanuels, who tied for third place individually with Kingwood's Bella Flores, five shots off the pace. Both earned bronze medals.
"It's so special," Vandegrift coach Aaron Ford said. "It's hard to say which championship is more special. They're both just as sweet. To win it last year, we felt the pressure all year long. I'm just so proud of the team for the way they played all year. To win back to back is an extra special feeling."
As for Sathish, the sky is the limit, Ford said.
"She's special," he said. "She shot a bogey-free 70 (on Monday) and was very in tuned today. It's so great she's part of our school and is part of our program."
For the record, here are the individual scores for Vandegrift over two days: Satish (70-68), Givens (71-71), Addison Bandelier (74-74), Eden McSpadden (81-76) and Danica Lundgren (82-80).
Meanwhile, Westlake's Emanuels had a tournament to remember, too.
"I played pretty well, hit the ball spot on, but I needed to clean up some putting," said Emanuels, who had birdies on the 15 and 17th holes to put her in contention for a medal. She said her dream of playing in the LPGA began when she was 8 years old living in Parkland, Fla. She fully expects to be playing college next year.
"She's a D1 golfer and she's only going to get better," Westlake golf coach Paul Pruitt said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Vandegrift wins second straight Class 6A girls state golf title
