By CONOR NICHOLL
Pittsburg St. Mary’s-Colgan has won back-to-back 3-2-1A state golf championships. Two years ago, the Panthers scored 713 and defeated runner-up Colby by 22 shots. Colgan’s top players were Ali Scripsick, Riley Root, Greta Ison and Brenn Beykirch. They all finished in the top-nine at state.
Last year, the Panthers again bested Colby. Colgan shot a 705, 19 strokes ahead of Colby. Scripsick was fourth, followed by Ison in sixth. Molly Swezy and Audrey Goetting each finished in the top-11.
This fall, Colgan and Colby are again expected to be the top-two teams. Colgan has notably won four tournaments: Columbus, Girard, Galena and the Colgan/Frontenac competition.
Colby returns junior Anna Starbuck. Colby has finished as state runner-up in ’19, ’20 and ’21. Starbuck won the individual state championship in 2020 and was second last fall.
Colgan has again shown great depth. At the Sept. 22 Colgan/Frontenac Invitational, Colgan shot a 335. Columbus was second at 446, Frontenac third with 466 and Girard fourth with 534. The Colgan had the top-five finishers. No other golfer in the field broke 97, per Kansas Golf Scores.
Scripsick, now a senior, earned medalist honors by 12 shots with a 74. The 74 is tied for the sixth-best 18-hole score this fall.
Sophomores Swezey and Ava Scripsick shot 86 and 87, respectively. Seniors Ison and Goetting tied for fourth with 88s.
Ali Scripsick would like to play college golf. She did not play until her freshman season. She went from scoring in the 100s as a freshman to around 85 as a sophomore and 78 as a junior. During the summer, Scripsick practices around five hours a day golfing. During the school year, she spends time outside of the classroom on the golf course. The Scripsicks’ mother, Kim, won three state titles at Columbus and is Colgan’s coach. From 1990-99, Columbus girls won seven state championships.
Senior Zoey Smith tied for sixth with a 97, while sophomore Addison Coomes was ninth with a 102. Senior Jane Kerr was also in the field and finished 16th.
On Sept. 15, Colgan rolled at the Galena competition, too. The Panthers shot 175, 18 strokes ahead of Columbus, in the nine-hole competition. Ali and Ava Scripsick went 1-2 with a 39 and 42, respectively.
Swezey and Ison tied for fifth with 47s. Smith was ninth with a 49. Goetting took 13th with a 51.
On Sept. 8, Colgan won the Girard tournament, also a nine-hole competition. The Panthers shot a 179, 12 shots ahead of traditional power Caney Valley. Ali Scripsick, Ison and Goetting finished 1-2-tied third with 41, 43 and 46, respectively.
On Sept. 1, Colgan shot 176 and captured the Columbus tournament by 40 shots. Ali Scripsick, Ison, Swezey, and Goetting finished 1-2-3-4 with 40, 44, 45 and 47, respectively. Ava Scripsick and Zoey Smith finished tied fifth and seventh at 48 and 49.
