MEEKER | Last week, the Meeker High School girls golf team traveled to Windsor to compete in the Class 2A Region 4 regional tournament. Representing the Cowboys were sophomores Sawyer May and Kailynn Watson, seniors Mia Pinzon and Joelle Soler, and senior team manager Eduardo Cordova.
While the Meeker program has sent golfers to regionals every year since its inception, this year marked the first regional appearance for all four individual golfers.
Head coach Amanda Back, who just wrapped up her fifth season leading the program, said her goal for the tournament was more about gaining experience than results.
“I didn’t have any expectations,” Back said. “I wanted my team to get the experience of regionals and possibly a state berth.”
Despite it being their first time on this stage, Back said the team rose to the challenge. “They did awesome. They all made a team impact, chose not to pick up and did their very best,” she said. “It was awesome.”
One major obstacle was the course itself. The tournament was held at RainDance National, known as the longest course in North America when played from the professional tees.
Leading Meeker individually was Watson, who carded a 129 (+57) over 18 holes, shooting a 69 on the front nine and a 60 on the back. Watson described what it was like competing in her first regional tournament, and the biggest lesson she learned from her experience at the regional tournament.
“Competing at regionals for the first time was pretty nerve racking but I was also very excited to play. The biggest lesson I had to learn was not getting in my head after one bad shot. My goals moving forward is to go to as many tournaments as possible and practice throughout the summer,” stated Watson
Soler followed closely behind with a score of 135 (+63), shooting a 67 on the front nine and a 68 on the back. May matched that score exactly with her own 135 (+63), also posting a 67 on the front and 68 on the back.
Pinzon finished her high school golf career with a round of 165 (+93), shooting a 78 on the front and 87 on the back. When it came time for sophomore Sawyer May, she would also golf a 135 +63 in the regional tournament. On the front nine she finished with 67 as for the back nine she’d end up with 68.
As a team, Meeker finished eighth out of 10 teams with a combined score of 399 (+183).
Looking ahead, Back is optimistic about the future of the program. “We have a ton of potential, and we will miss our seniors this year,” she said. “It was a great set of kiddos.”
The team will graduate three seniors this spring: Pinzon, Soler, and team manager Cordova, all of whom will walk at Meeker High School’s commencement ceremony on May 24, 2025.
Reflecting on the season, Back expressed pride in the group. “There were so many different personalities, and they made it all mesh well,” she said. “I was so grateful they were kind and very willing to learn. Could not be prouder of all of them.”
