Coronado pulls through for 5th straight 5A girls golf title — PHOTOS
BOULDER CITY — Coronado’s girls golf team had to deal with wild weather and impending darkness during the second day of the Class 5A state tournament.
As sunset ended the tournament early on Tuesday at Boulder Creek Golf Club, the sun didn’t set on the Cougars’ 5A reign.
Coronado won its fifth straight 5A team state title, shooting a two-day team score of 38-over 582 to defeat Southern Region champion Bishop Gorman by three shots. Faith Lutheran was third (48-over 595).
The Cougars won the team title for the ninth time.
“I’m just proud of the girls for banding together,” Coronado coach Rusty Andersen said. “There’s been some things (that happened) this year. They battled through a lot of adversity and to see them pull together today — they all know what they fought through — it’s a special, special win today.”
Tuesday’s round ended early due to darkness after 16 holes. All 5A players’ scores were counted through 16 holes, even for the players that finished their round.
Bishop Gorman’s Samantha Harris won the 5A individual state title, shooting a two-day total of 2-over 138. She beat Faith Lutheran’s Maddie Perez by one stroke. Coronado’s Berlin Biddinger finished third at 6-over 142.
“It feels amazing,” Harris said. “I’ve been working for this for four years and it’s just a dream come true to finally make the putts, hit the straight drives and get it done.”
Four for five
Coronado’s run to the title was impressive because the Cougars only have four golfers on their roster. At postseason events, teams can play six golfers and count the four best scores toward their team score.
That left Coronado no margin for error all season. Especially if there was a tie for the team title — like there was after the first day at Boulder City Golf Course, with Coronado and Faith Lutheran each shooting 19-over 307 — since the tiebreaker is the lowest score from the fifth player.
“They grind together and come together and play hard for each other and show up for each other,” Andersen said. “We had no room for error this season. We’re a flat tire away from not having a team. We have us four and that’s it. It’s ride or die together.”
On Tuesday, Biddinger shot 1-under 64 to help the Cougars build a cushion. Coronado’s other three golfers all finished inside the top 15. Grace Oh tied for fourth (7-over 143), Sophia Medlin was seventh (10-over 143) and Alexa Hart tied for 15th (15-over 151).
“We knew it’d be tight,” said Andersen, who took over the program from legendary coach Joe Sawaia in 2024. “Faith Lutheran’s a great team. Gorman’s a great team. We knew there was just very, very little room for error. … Everyone who tees it up has to post a number and I’m really, really proud of the girls.”
Harris goes out on top
Harris, a Dartmouth commit, was tied for fourth after the first day, shooting 3-over 75. Harris and the rest of the competition had to deal with windy weather throughout the tournament.
“I played really strong over the course of the tournament with the heavy winds and everything,” Harris said. “I really persevered. I hit knockdown shots all day today, which was necessary, but I made the putts and my birdie opportunities.”
Harris shot 2-under 63 on Tuesday as she went head-to-head with Perez, the region champion, in the final grouping. Harris got her second round off to a strong start with birdies on two of the first three holes.
“(Perez and I) were going back and forth the entire time,” Harris said. “I never knew where we were, but I knew we were close. It came down to all those little putts.”
Class 4A results
Desert Oasis cruised to the Class 4A team state title with a two-day score of 165-over 665 at Boulder Creek. The second round was shortened to 13 holes due to darkness. It’s the first girls golf team title for Desert Oasis.
Tech finished second at 288-over 784 and Rancho was third at 368-over 864.
Sierra Vista’s Taelor Williams won the individual 4A title with a two-round score of 21-over 145. Desert Oasis’ Mailee Nguyen was second at 23-over 147. Silverado’s Mackenzie Wilkinson was third at 26-over 150.
Boulder City dominates 3A
Boulder City rolled to its second straight Class 3A team state title with a two-day score of 122-over 698 at Boulder Creek. It’s the sixth team title for Boulder City.
Virgin Valley finished second at 216-over 782. The Meadows was third at 217-over 783.
Boulder City’s Emmerson Hinds won her third straight 3A individual state title with a two-day score of 12-over 156 to win by 17 strokes.
Hinds is committed to UNLV. She is the fifth golfer in Nevada history to win three individual state titles, according to known records by the NIAA.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
