Prescott girls golf is returning to State on Monday and Tuesday, as the team secured conference, Regional and Sectional titles over the last few weeks to reach the biggest stage.

Prescott and River Falls started their postseason runs at the Division 1 Superior Regional on Oct. 1. Prescott not only qualified for the Stevens Point Sectional on Monday, but won the event with a 341, four strokes ahead of Spooner. River Falls was eight strokes away from qualification, taking sixth place with a 356.

Prescott senior Macy Reiter tied for third with a 77, joined by senior Layla Salay in a tie for sixth with an 81, senior Lily Vesperman tying for 10th with an 85, freshman Claire Salay with a 98 and junior Avery Braun with a 102.

While River Falls did not qualify as a team, senior Elsie Schmid and sophomore Olivia Lick made it through to Sectionals individually. Schmid tied with Salay for sixth with an 81 and Lick tied for 12th with an 86. Rounding out the Wildcat lineup, junior Maddie Schmidt scored a 94, senior Rory Opatz scored a 95 and senior Lilyana Lansing scored a 99.

Prescott doubled down with a Sectional title in Stevens Point, scoring a 347 to win by 14 strokes over Hudson. Vesperman and Reiter tied for fifth with 83 each and Salay was eighth with an 84. Coach Chad Salay said the team got a strong performance from Avery Braun that gave them the boost they needed. That title means the Cardinals are headed back to State, a course that many of the golfers have gotten familiar with over the team’s years of appearances. River Falls’ Schmid narrowly missed the mark for individual qualification, also scoring an 83 in need of an 81.

Ellsworth competed in the Division 2 Hammond Regional, taking third place Sept. 30. The Panthers needed to place top three to advance to Sectionals, and they ended up placing third. While taking the final spot sounds like a close call, the 381 score was well above Somerset’s 413 score in fourth place.

Senior Emma Helgeson tied for second place with an 86, followed by junior Aubrey Marks tying for ninth with a 95, junior Marley Halverson in 11th with a 96, sophomore Natalie Kirchner in 17th with a 104 and sophomore Stella Deml tying for 18th with a 107. There were 40 total golfers competing, meaning each of Ellsworth’s five finished in the top half.

St. Croix Central won the Regional on the team’s home course, scoring a 360, and Amery was second with a 371. The qualification sent Ellsworth to the Unity Sectional on Monday, where the Panthers fell short of State qualifiers St. Croix Central and Colfax/Elk Mound. Marks’ 86 score was enough to send her to State. Marks has been in the mix for Ellsworth, and the Sectional performance was one of her best of the season.

Stay tuned for coverage from the Prescott team and Marks at State and to hear from the golfers and coaches on their trip.